As I've hinted at before, this has been kind of an eventful year. At the same time, this year I have become an uber-lame blogger here at ol' Surprised by Joy.
I've thought about why this might be, and I have two main theories.
Reflection
I use this blog as a reflective place. Writing is therapeutic for me to process through events and happenings, understand them better, understand myself better. However, through the trials of this year I am not quite to a place of reflection with many of the situations yet. I'm still in the thick of it.
I can't tell you how many drafts sit in my little queue from the past year. Dozens. I have written so many blog posts that I just can't finish. I don't know how to finish them, because the situation isn't resolved in my mind. If they can't resolve in my mind, I can't resolve them in writing.
Appropriateness
Sometimes it's not appropriate to write about things on a public blog. Well, that's my opinion at least. Church, work, friendships- these things aren't really conducive to playing out on a public internet forum.
This is also something I think about down the road. I'd love to write a memoir or non-fiction piece about my time in Japan, but when my stories involve real people, how can I do that fairly? When anyone writes about actual situations, they are writing their perspective on the person, place, time, and actions- not necessarily factual. It very literally plays out the cliché that perception is reality.
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These are all things I'm trying to balance. Because of my work, everyday I see people play out situations and say things online that I think they will probably regret one day, and I don't want to be that person.
Hopefully in the months to come as situations resolve I'll be able to look back in hindsight and have more to say. Thanks for sticking with me regardless. :)
4 comments:
Love you Ann!!! If nothing else in the blog world you convinced me to join back in. I love reading whatever you decide to write, whenever you decide to write it and I'm so glad you got me writing again. I agree with your dilemmas (sp?). One of the reasons I don't blog much about my beliefs is because I don't want it to come back and bite me in the behind, you know now that all my crazy college friends have turned me into a raging liberal :). Love you!
It is weird writing about current events that deal with people you see every day especially if you feel strongly about them one way or another. I end up keeping my blog very light and fluffy most of the time because I tend to have a big mouth if I don't keep it reined in. But I enjoy reading your blog, as well, and now I'm all curious about what you would write if only we who live far far away read it... :)
Just came across your blog and went thru ur archives. It was so nice. The pictures are sooo good. Keep blogging :)
Really good thought, Ann. In my opinion you are ahead of the curve in articulating the perils of social networking and finding a place of moderation. A decade down the line I hope and pray that many of the things you are saying now are the conventional wisdom.
And I don't know about you, but when I think "raging liberal," Amber is one of the first people to pop in my mind. If only I had a dime for every time I said, "Amber, just tone it down a little bit.":D:D
--CritterMer
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