366 Days of Writing Prompts – Day 122
Personal space
To what extent is your blog a place for your own self-expression
and creativity vs. a site designed to attract readers?
How do you balance that? If sticking to certain topics
and types of posts meant your readership would triple,
would you do it?
I have three major blogs and then a couple of minor blogs. Of my three major ones, Promptly Written and A Whispered Wind are mostly for self-expression and creativity. As the Fates Would Have It is a personal blog about my life in general, but it is also a self-expression blog. The other two blogs, Mindful Living for a Healthy Mind and My Fat Loss Journey on LCHF (neither of which I update on a regular basis these days, but do plan on starting that up again) are both personal and informative blogs.
As a rule, I don’t concern myself so much with readership. Yes, I do enjoy those who visit my blogs and I adore everyone’s comments, but I don’t write necessarily for an audience. I write because it is a part of who I am. The readers are like the whipped topping and cherry on top of the banana split. The bananas and ice cream are the content and the whipped topping and cherry make them pleasing to the eyes and add that extra umph that makes like worth living.
I am not sure I would write topics that just draw readership. I’ve gone that route in the past on another blog and I got so caught up in trying to please others that I lost the spark of blogging for many months. Now I just write what pleases me and if it draws an audience, so be it. If not, so be it. I think people are drawn to blogs that are updated regularly and showcase the talents of the blogger. I’ve seen a few bloggers who began with wonderful blogs filled with individual purpose and then they stray from their initial purpose to please others. Their blogs get filled with fluff instead of substance and it is a real shame to see that happen.
How about you, dear readers? Do you blog for self-expression/creativity or just to attract readers? Have you found a balance? Share your thoughts with me in comments.
Promptly Written 
I think I primarily write because its a cathartic process. Its for myself and a need to store memories and observations, but I’m sometimes pleasantly surprised that someone else would get value or a sense of recognition out of something I shared. You’re right..as soon as you play to an audience there is an integrity that is lost somehow.
I try to do both with my blog, but it’s not necessarily about the recognition. I want to express my creativity, as well as offer insight to what I learn about writing and life. I want readers to get glimpses about who I am as a person as well as a writer. I’m trying to find that balance. I think some of that comes from being knowledgeable about whatever subject you want to discuss. Truth be told, there are a lot of things I’m learning about writing and about life, but I feel that when we’ll never know everything about everything. That is why I blog.
Those are excellent reasons to blog, GR 🙂 I do hope you find the balance, and once you have, you will share it with rest of us!
Wow, that’s a lot of pressure to put yourself under. I’m with you on this one – I write for the pleasure of it. And I love the freedom to choose and try different things and styles from the serious to the funny and in between.
Yep.. now I just write when I feel it and am inspired.. even with my projects now. If it feels forced, I give it up for a while… I enjoy your freedoms of expression, Raili 🙂
🙂
I honestly don’t think I have ever thought about this before. I write for me, but at the same time I hope that people will enjoy it. That they can relate to my stories and thoughts and think about them later. I would struggle if I had to please an audience. I’d never get any sleep.
Thanks for sharing this with me, Lisa. When I was writing to please others, I didn’t sleep. It was a round the clock project. I was lucky to get 2-3 hrs per night of sleep, if that and nearly had a mental breakdown over it. I think our approaches are better.. write what we enjoy and if we get readers, great, if not, oh well 🙂
What a stressful way to live! I’m glad you got through it!
It really was and thank you, Lisa 🙂
As I said on my about.me page: “I’m not driven by the quest for publication, money, or recognition. I just enjoy writing and sharing my output with anyone who wants to read it.”
I love that, Keith.. I feel similar. It’s the joy of writing that thrills me too 🙂