Whistling in the Dark?

Ever since I opted to engage in this 21-day blog challenge, I’ve been amazed by how quickly I can knock out a blog. It’s not that I thought I’d be stumped, but, I do remember when I first started to read about blogging. I wondered – what the hell am I going to write about? What could I produce that might be truly interesting? It’s the same challenge that you have when writing a novel, except of course, blogging moves along a hell of a lot faster. Forty minutes and it’s over. The novel – not so much.

I think the secret to blogging might lie in the art of good conversation. An opinion is expressed, thoughts are clarified, and before you know it, you’re ready to wrap up. But the difference between blogging and a good conversation is that “you exclusively have the floor”. It’s your sheet of paper – or RSS feed. No one else around to bounce ideas. You’re alone, mind clicking away, hoping that you’re not being too much of a bore, since, let’s face it, having the floor is kind of intoxicating. No one may be listening, but you still get to have your say.

So now, after twelve days, I’m wondering if I’m whistling in the dark. This blog conversation, so much like keeping a diary, is absolutely happening in a vacuum. I share my blog on my Facebook Author page – but I don’t really have any fans yet. I tweet – but the people who tend to follow me on Twitter are trying to sell me something. My pocket seems to have a lot of hands in it while there are few eyes on the content of my writing.

And so now I wonder if all this effort might be amounting to nothing.

In my youth, I’d have engaged a therapist to help me sort it all out. The struggle to get my novel out there is daunting, depressing, and frequently demoralizing, and yet, the blogging has now replaced my need to talk to someone. My fingers are happily engaged, busily hunting and pecking. Blogs rolling out as if on an assembly line. Perhaps all of this is tremendously helpful. Maybe, I’m not whistling in the dark. Instead, I’m processing. Learning that being in the universe is not always about being read. Maybe it’s just about having your say – blogging away even if no one seems to be listening. Unearthing your opinions in the way we writers know best. By writing.