It’s not a biggie, enough people have pointed out the obvious therapeutic values derived from writing. Many writers maintain daily writing journals of some sort, not only as writing practice, and to improve our writing, but as a way to deal with the matters of the day.
Because I am currently setting out a new blog, and writing content for that, my daily writing has, in essence, become blogging writing. Around it, I manage to squeeze in domestic chores, research and development of my novel in progress, and many other daily requirements (like, um, work). So when it comes to putting pen to paper (or pixels), my daily journal appears to currently be found in my blog posts on my newer blog, simply because that’s my bigger project work at the moment.
Unlike a daily journal, however – whether a hardbound notebook, or some kind of computerised system – a blog is public. Here comes the thing, then. Because as you work out things, and write them down, getting to understand what can be published immediately, and what should be left to sit and maybe even be deleted, all of that is something many bloggers probably are still learning to this day. I am.
It is a hard task to sit back from your newest writing piece, and think – ‘actually, that could do with a bit of a wait on it’ or ‘well, that felt good to get it off my chest like that, but what are some ramifications if somebody else sees it?’
A year ago, even perhaps as little as six months ago, I still published things which perhaps were better left said only by myself. There weren’t huge ramifications, but for myself internally, I felt there could be. And I still look behind my back now, on those particular pieces of work.
But then, as a proud writer, who has spent much time writing, re-writing, searching for the best way to say something, then not hitting the ‘publish’ button is a difficult thing to do at the best of times.
Yesterday I spent a good hour working on an editorial piece on my new blog, with the subject of personal boundaries. In a nutshell, I was talking about a particular second life experience where I had finally been forced to ban somebody from something of mine, because that person was breaking all sorts of social etiquette rules. Although it wasn’t a hugely dictatorial post, I became aware after saving it, that I was opening myself up for potentially some other types of griefing (or annoyances) in the virtual world. Or at least opening up some personal details which would provide a target for anybody of that mind.
However, in writing the post, the whole thing took on a much more ‘real’ feeling and more applicable learning lesson to myself. I had felt almost a victim of that particular person’s behaviour, and through the post writing, had worked through those feelings, and came out the other end feeling much more secure in my own thought processes, with an understanding of why and how I was feeling such a deep feeling for what is a virtual world experience.
Deleting the post before publication is no longer a problem. It was the writing of it that was the catharsis towards my maturity in understanding – it doesn’t matter if you write for a blog, it’s still writing. And it’s still therapeutic, and I’m capable of seeing the good from the publishable, and using any of my writing in which-ever manner I deem suitable.
There’s no guarantee another personal blog won’t suddenly find itself published when possibly it would be better not to, because each case is it’s own, as are my own emotions and needs at the time. But I’ve learnt from the experience, and am glad for it.
Image Credit : FatMandy on Flickr (Creative Commons)
These posts may also be of interest:
Tue, Jun 2, 2009
Personal Writing Journey