What’s your blog about?
Lately I’ve been in a bit of a blogging funk because I feel like my blog isn’t about anything. It isn’t a blog with a cause to promote. It isn’t a blog that focuses on cooking or politics or interesting news tidbits from around the world. It isn’t about entertainment, or books, or technology, or activities around Ottawa.
It’s not about losing weight, getting fit, travelling around the world, depression, widowhood, or any other kind of journey of self-discovery. It’s not about getting married or having babies or starting a new job. It isn’t about any life changes at all, really — it’s all about maintaining the status quo around here.
I wouldn’t even really say it’s about parenting, as a skill, nor is it really about my kids and family, as there are too many taboo topics to really get a clear picture of our home life.
If I’m not careful, this is going to turn into a blog about Dance Show exclusively. Maybe I should consider a name change to So You Think You Can Blog.
My twelfth grade history teacher was a very nice man named Mr. Shultz. Or not. It doesn’t sound quite right. Anyway, we spent half the year doing a major unit on the Second World War, and Mr. NotShultz made it clear every week that our goal was to find an answer to the question, “What was the nature of the war?” None of us ever understood what the heck he wanted. Did he mean, what was it like to be a soldier? Yes, but more than that. Did he mean, what were the major strategies, and what were the lasting effects on world politics? Yes, but more than that.
I still don’t know what the nature of WWII was.
But I think what I’m after these days is figuring out what the nature is of this blog.
I feel like I’ve found my voice, I have a platform. Now, what is it I want to say? What do I want to contribute to the global opinion? I’m stepping up to the mike with nothing in the bag except idle chit chat. No one cares what I had for lunch.
It’s not that I’m considering giving up blogging or deleting all my old posts or anything remotely drastic. It’s just that lately I’ve self-censored several entries, not posting them because they seemed so frivolous and silly. And that’s coming from a girl who actually does post about Dance Show at least once a week. Sometimes twice.
I feel like I should actually say something. At least some of the time. I feel like my blog should be about something.
Recently I read similar sentiments over at A Common Grey Spider and Please Pick Up Your Socks. Both times I assured them that their blogs were interesting to me, that I’d be back to read them even if they wrote about what they had for lunch. “Your blog is you,” I said. That’s what it’s about.
My blog is me. That should be enough.
I guess I’m feeling melancholy with the bitter cold weather outside.
But just who am I, anyway?
TurtleHead 
Your blog is interesting to me, and I’d be back to read it even if you wrote about what you had for lunch 🙂 Well, Google Reader makes it easy to zip by if you actually blog about what you had for lunch, but I’d still keep you in my feed when you blog about other stuff.
Oh, and “So You Think You Can Blog” is an awesome name for a blog. Too bad it’s already taken. 😦
I’ve pondered this same question myself. More than once. And still don’t really have an answer.
For now, I’m content to have my blog be a place to record our lives and who I am right now. I’d love to be able to read stories from my childhood written by my mom and know her thoughts on parenting, family, etc… written in the moment, not as stories remembered. Hopefully my kids will appreciate it and, as they grow up, it’ll be a way for them to know me -and themselves- better.
Regarding this, your blog… I love it. I can’t put my finger on it, but you are one of my top three bloggers that I think more people should read. Your writing is fun, interesting and approachable.
My blog’s just about me, too. I’m fine with that. That’s the kind of blog I enjoy reading the most.
You’re someone who writes a blog that I like to read.
I feel that way a lot. My blog has never had a theme or a purpose. It started as a way to keep my family up to date, but only 2 or 3 of them ever read it, so it never quite fulfilled that purpose either.
That being said, I read yours, I like yours. So write what ever tickles your fancy. Frivolous or serious. I will keep visiting.
OMG I LOVE your blog! It’s like sitting down for coffee (if I drank coffee) together with you. I love this part of my day. It’s like we’re friends again, that see each other every day. I know, I should comment more often, it’s totally a one way street/conversation, but again I LOVE it. And since I’ve just started reading your blog and become a new mom, I’ve read some of your archived blogs and LOVE those too! I love the birth stories and the tributes to your Man and your grandma and about your mom’s birthday and running (OMG you RUN?) and just stories. Yup, I miss you. And I miss our friendship and I’m sorry I couldn’t put it in more eloquent words like you do! So I could continue to gush but I would just embarrass myself. Just know I’m thinking of you and your family and I love reading about it all! Please keep blogging-if you ever wondered if a tree (blog) falls and no one’s around, is there a sound? There is. I will miss it. (I know so selfish of me.)
ps Have you blogged about sleeping and getting your kid to sleep by themselves?
i have to agree with shyla, i keep coming back because it;s like sitting down for a cuppa with an old friend. it’s familiar. it’s comfortable. but that doesn’t mean you can’t post controversial stuff or silly and frivolous stuff. it’s what’s going on with you on the day you post or something that’s been nagging at the back of your brain for a month.
it’s you, and we like it.
My blog is… if I think about it too much.
It’s all the things I want to talk about but can’t seem to finagle into a conversation…
It’s about the musical thoughts that fly into my head…
and all those concerns I don’t really share because they seem trivial.
or the rants, I need to say….
It just is. Tomorrow it might be different. To force it one way or another just doesn’t…
I love to read your blog. What makes the blog worth reading is that it is about you. Your posts capture not only what you are doing and thinking but a sense of you through your words.
All it needs to be is about you.
Well…I had been thinking about the same thing for a while. Then I made a fatal mistake (if you’ve been by then you know what happened) and I took down everything and started fresh. As I was removing each post (frantically) I had the chance to read snippets from each and I enjoyed it. It took me back to what I was doing last May or May 2008 type thing. I am thankful that I have saved copies of my posts. I had forgotten some of the mundane stuff that I decided to wrtie about and when I read it again I enjoyed it. Kind of like how I enjoy reading about these things in other people’s lives too.
You are totally right, your blog IS you! And I enjoy reading it. I think that is what makes blogging so interesting anyway. Like for me especially, I really love reading about what day-to-day life is like for you, just because you live in a different country from me (albeit a next door neighbor). I don’t know if I would exactly call it culture shock if I ever visited Canada, but it’s reassuring to me to know that yes, there are other people out there doing the same things as I am (aka watching crazy dance shows). It keeps the globe in perspective. Yes, we are all in 2009. I don’t know. It’s a weird sentiment, but I am obsessed with the normalcy. I think I could care very much about what you had for lunch.
Starting the new book blog really helped me feel more centric, but I know that’s who I am and how I operate. Even all through college, I always did better with a prompt. My writing craves hierarchy. But that’s who I am. You do you. You’ll be great at it, no matter what.
I’m still in the same boat. I want to write about things and don’t. I think “why would I write about that, no one cares.” I care. I should write about whatever I want. Even if it’s something I overheard or a scarf that I’m knitting. It’s fun to document, what I was doing on September 15, 2008. It’s fun to go back and look.
I hope that I will continue to blog, because I want to go back and read the story of me. What I did when I was 25.. I “hope” that I will continue to blog for many years. I’d like to blog about planning a wedding, kids that I’ll have, the house that I’ll build.
Right now, things are pretty tame. Nothing too crazy is going on here (except knitting). So for now, I’ll post pictures of my knitting. I think the goal is to just keep doing it. Write about whatever you feel like.
I do like your idea of answering questions though. Maybe you could make a post where people could ask you 5 questions, about anything.. about you, why the sky is blue, how to make a turkey. You could have fun researching it and blogging about that when you have a writers block.
Just an idea..keep blogging.
I’ve known you for quite some time now, and I’ve gotten to know you even better by reading your posts. I enjoy your wit and your honesty and your writing talent. Your blog is you and that is enough. 🙂
If your blog is about nothing then my blog is about less than nothing.
My blog is not even about my life. Look: I haven’t even blogged about my trip and probably won’t. I suppose I use my blog most for venting. It’s mostly an outlet for frustration.
BTW, Mr. Shultz taught French. At least, he talk me French so I’m not sure that’s who you were thinking of.
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