Thursday, October 11, 2012

My Blogging Dilemma


As a blogger I’m a dismal failure.  Aside from the lack of any real writing skills, my main problem is I simply don’t know what to write about.  It’s not helped by knowing that I have a microscopically small reading audience; on a good day, I figure four readers.  Hardly an incentive to write more blogs.

And yet the topic of my blog came up in my class the other day; of all things the instructor said he had read some of my blogs.  I couldn’t have been more shocked--nor skeptical.  Did he have me confused with someone else?  How did he even find my blog among the thousands--millions?--out there?  Unless he had received an e-mail from me, I find it unlikely that he read my blog.  Still, it was nice to have it mentioned someplace besides in discussion between me and my cat, Jake. 

But I’m still stuck with what to write about.  I do not have a particularly interesting life, at least one others might find interesting.  I read, I study, I nap, I have coffee every morning at Starbucks, I visit with my small circle of friends, I search out new places in Chicago, I go to as much opera and theater as my budget allows.  But I said early on I wasn’t going to make this blog one of reviews about my attendance at performances.  What’s left?  Beats me.

I have thought about politics.  But frankly I am sick to death of politics.  I’m not an undecided voter, no one I know is undecided, so there’s little point there.  And anyway in a few weeks the political season will come to a end--at least the election version of the political season.  And I’m not a scholar of politics; if anyone wants a scintillating discussion of politics there are plenty of bloggers out there who actually know stuff. 

So here I am writing a blog about not being able to write a blog.  That’s more than a little depressing.

But I’ll muddle onward, trying, so far unsuccessfully, to write a blog a week.  I’m open for ideas.  No, slitting my wrists is not acceptable.

5 comments:

  1. You are taking a writing class?! Or a "writing blogs" class? I am always happy to see a new blog notice on FB from you. And right, NO slitting of the wrists! Just makes me shudder to read that. Not that I think YOU would. Just off the top of my head I have some ideas for you, because I would be interested in hearing from you about them: 1) Why you LOVE Chicago so much. (It seemed to be love at first sight with you.) 2) Reviews of performances you go to, since I learn more about orchestras, operas, classical pieces when I read a review. Just once in awhile. It doesn't have to be a blog focused only on performances. You know, mix it up! 3) Some blogs on growing up on a farm (you did, right?) and let's see, my mind is still morning foggy, how about 4) have there ever been times you've been so enraged you couldn't see straight and what set you off and what calmed you down? Or spin off from there to strong feelings in general.

    Good lord (small "l"), hope these suggestions don't seem too off the wall. Especially that last one. Time to go refill my coffee cup!

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  2. P.S. I enjoyed this blog entry of yours!

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  3. Wow! Lots of ideas. I'll add them to my idea file. And by "class" I meant my U. of Chicago class; I'm not sure how the topic came up, since we were supposed to be discussing Plato, but Adam mentioned my blog. Oh well. As for the last suggestion, it's a good one; I just never get that kind of angry any more, at least not often. But still, all these are good ideas. Thanks!

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  4. And I delighted you enjoyed the blog! Always what someone wants to hear. Sporadic blogger as I am!

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  5. As usual, you sell yourself short. You've just written an entire blog about not having anything to write about...that's quite an accomplishment in itself. And it's not the number of people who read it (you don't do much to let people know it's there); it's the fact that someone DOES read and enjoys it.

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