A friend whose opinion I value very highly recently told me that, although he thinks my blog is wonderful, he doesn't read it consistently because he personally prefers things that are edgy, not fluffy.So, I'm fluffy. Or at least my writerly persona is. Aarrghhh!
I briefly considered widening my focus, posting on topics more controversial, and of more than local interest. I even visited cnn.com to see what was going on in the world beyond Salem Street today.
It only takes ten minutes of reading the national and international news to remind me why I do it as rarely as possible. Headlines today: police say man blew up 4-story building in NYC rather than let it be sold in a divorce; 11-year-old girl gang-raped by football players; boy get 26 years for murdering playmate; American soldiers killed in Iraq in retaliation for the rape of an Iraqi woman; Bin Laden urges more attacks....
What can I do with all this information? I'm not sure. I keep coming back to the dictum, write what you know. This blog is pretty much a diary of my not-all-that-exciting life at this point. I'm not trying to snare readers from the blogosphere with incendiary keywords, or take controversial stands on the hot issues of the day just to start a flame war.
I look at my heroes, fellow diarist Anne or fellow Massachusetts writer Henry David, both writing from a single room, and I think, by continually examining and acting on their principles in their individual lives--however mild and harmless, they are the true subversives.
Or maybe they're just fluffy.
i have come across your blog a couple of months ago... and i have been reading it everyday. i only consistently read four of five blogs everyday and yours is one of them.
ReplyDeletewe are poles apart in background and personalities, believe me, but i do enjoy reading your thoughts.
so, stick to what you like to write, girl. some people like it, too!
thanks for your input. writing is like stand-up comedy--you're putting yourself out there, with no clue as to how your act is going to be received. and there's nothing worse than an unresponsive audience. makes you wonder if you should just throw yourself off a high bridge, or become a certified public accountant or a bagger in a grocery store. it should get easier over time, but it never does.
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