Thursday, June 4, 2009

Wait, writers, you are getting discouraged too easily with blogging

I have written all my life and during that time I have tried so many things to ecnourage writing, my own and other people's--underground newspapers, poetry mag, play workshops, writing classes on and on. I do not think anything has happened to J-land that I would not have expected. The miracle was that it took on such life before inspiration began to burn lower, but when you look at all the reasons this happened, there is nothing too discouraging about it. Life happened in most cases. People got sick and could not blog. They had to take breaks. They got burned out. They had to think about whether to go on, which happens in every writer's cycle.
In fact, I just launched off a new experiment to encourage blogging in my family. My sister Ann writes and writes and writes, but to my surprise she gave as her excuse for not blogging she did not have anything to say when she sat down to do it. I can't believe that. I am sure she only attempted to blog for about 5 minutes. I think what is missing is a conviction that the blogging world needs her, too many have experienced illnesses and can't blog. Others need to be taking their place. The Internet is the main highway now, and we writers must claim our share of it while we have the chance.
She is the most consistent contributer on our private family website. Now in desperation I am going to go off my family site, because I am seriously concerned that we are going to let writing go extinct if we don't decide it is worth saving.
There is nothing stopping anybody from blogging except they have hit a low spot when inspiration is hard to come by, when aches and pains interfere too much, which is all natural for a writer. If everyone who blogs can look at it like they are saving the art of writing by doing it, perhaps they will feel renewed vigor.
People who weren't used to writing before they had this great J-land experience were lucky. They got to be part of something that took off and went to quite the heights before natural obstacles interfered. I know nothing that good had happened to me as a writer as when I discovered J-land, and the enthusiasm was beginnng to wane then. But I am not in the least bit discouraged, because I know that writers have to write though every obstacle in their way if they are going to create some great blogs, plays, novels, memoirs, essays, and poems.
I have made up my mind to reward the valiant people who continue to blog by concentrating on them rather than on the family, who rely too heavily on the ones who tend to write a great deal like me. I have decided the bloggers will get my e-mails when they write some wonderful entry.
I have never seen a sick person struggle so hard to blog as Lisa of Please Dont Take Life for Granted who has a list of serious ailments a mile long including MS. If she doesn't blog I know she can't make it to the computer, that is all there is to it. I give her accolades, she is a great writer. I will remember her for that. And there was Kim who blogged literally until nearly her last breath. I will remember her.
I do know that writers need encouragement. They need to know that it matters if they write. I will be letting you know how my experiment works to get more bloggers out here, that I know would be great bloggers if they gave writing and getting it out there top priority. Connecting to you all. Blogging is a gift to the world, and sometimes the world does not say thanks enough.

6 comments:

MammawsDecorativeArt said...

Discovering blogging for me was opening an entire new world for I was very isolated, sad, lonely, and so discouraged I didn't even try to make friends anymore as I didn't believe I had anything to put into it. In hindsite I was probably right but not for the reasons I thought. Now, five years later, I have some friends on here that I met all those years ago. It warms my heart to know how we've all changed and grown. My j-land friends are my extended family and I think I get more distraught than the ordinary person when a negative thing happens on here.
I, too, have been one of the ones who have been discouraged and at other times so unwell that I didn't care about blogging anymore. I am happy to say that not only am I feeling much better these days, but I'm writing again and searching to make contact with all my friends online. I do miss them when I'm away.

Connie said...

I have never been one to open up my life out here in the vast net..just snippets here and there.I haven't thrust my poetry nor the short stories I have written,as I had a poem stolen once and a record was made from it.Not that I didn't love the song,but it broke my heart to hear it word for word and no one would ever know I wrote it.So I keep things close to my vest now.But just the experience of putting my tags and photos out there and someone saying that's nice--well it uplifts me.Families take us for granted..and are slow to compliment and we all need that once in a while or to commiserate if we are having a bad day.But Gerry,please don't give up your posting on your family site-that is where your legacy lies and gets passed on...we love you--too much for you to leave us also..just spread your wonderful self around.I love hearing you and Doc and your vids.You are like family...more so sometimes..
Love ya sweet lady!!!

Connie said...

Forgot two things--you look marvelous in that hat and dress..and I got my subcribe thing to work on Connies Photos
http://conniesphotos.blogspot.com/

HUGS ;-)

Connie said...

phooey-I hate typos so I am correcting--subscribe,LOL

Missie said...

I know so many people get discourged when writting especially when they don't get a lot of comments. Comments don't mean anything to me. I don't write for the comments. I write and I try to write every day no matter how badly I feel or what's going on so I have a record that I can go back to and remember.

Have a good weekend.

kanyonland King 2.blogspot.com said...

I am the one not blogging! I am thinking about it and trying to respond more to others, so I can see how they blog. I need to figure out just where to go, what to say... My job this week is to think up the name of the blog and my own!


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