Do you bloggers ever pull up your little piece of the Internet and hit a blank?
Do you think that maybe you’re just not that interesting and have nothing of importance to say?
Do you wonder why strangers out there could possibly be interested in what you cooked for dinner or how you managed your kids’ schedule?
I’m one of those weird people who ponders such things.
Whenever I don’t have something writerly to post, I will hit a blank. Not always– in the beginning, I chatted up a storm about anything that caught my interest. And those of you who have been here since then, know that I’m interested in a LOT of things. But I’ve been focusing on one project and my varied research interests have taken a back seat– just look how long it’s been since I posted on 23rd Mandalation. Got some guilt on that one. 🙂
I am writing up a review of the Alex Archer book that I freaking loved, btw– that will be posted some time by Monday. I got another ARC of a Meredeth Fletcher book that looks wonderful and will read and post a review– I’m liking this review stuff, btw. I didn’t think I would because well, I’m a painfully honest person and if I don’t like a book, I won’t lie about it. It’s why I avoided reviews in the past. I’m gettin’ over that. I’ve also reached a level of writing experience to where I can fudge my way around if needed. But if I don’t need to and I genuinely enjoyed the book, I’ll shout if from the rooftops. <g>
But I haven’t had a lot of time for writing lately and even when I do, I’ve been in a weird sort of contemplative mood. I end up finding something else to do. I’ve got this list of writing goals that’s looming over my head like some tenacious poltergeist and instead of doing my usual and tackling the damned thing, I’m just ignoring it.
When I have been writing, it’s been in short, intense bursts and it’s not stuff I can hand over to my cps because it’s in severe roughdraft form and kind of all over the place. Yet, it’s interesting stuff and once I work it over, I have a feeling it’s going to be good. They’ll have to be patient and not give up on me because more than likely, this stuff will be coming along in a nice orderly fashion once I go back to rewrite. 🙂
But… back to blogging.
Just why are we so interested in the personal lives of others?
If you really think about it, it’s simple. It’s the connection. We find a sense of belonging in identifying with things. You laugh at jokes you can identify with– you cry in situations you can understand. For instance, there is a local hospital commercial that just tears me up every time it comes on. And it’s on. A. Lot. It’s about a little boy who dies on his seventh birthday and his organs go on to save another little boy’s life. The commercial centers on the boy’s mother crying alone in a dark hallway while the doctors work on her dying son.
Agh!!! I’m tearing up just typing it.
The commercial is so harsh, I turn the channel the minute the music starts now.
But I identify with it because I have children. I have a little boy who sometimes jumps into the street without looking as this boy did.
My daughter drove– yes, drove– up in the Driver’s Ed car the other day. Her father and I stood in the doorway, grinning like idiots as we watched her get out and casually walk up to the house. She was laughing the entire way– because we were standing there like idiots.
I was happy for her, yet my heart was beating like crazy because until that moment, her driving had just been an idea. Kind of a blurry and in the future sort of idea. Reality hit me in the face as I watched her park and exit the driver’s side. She will be out there, driving herself places. She will be at the mercy of all the other drivers– without me to watch over her. It’s a level of freedom I’m sure she’s excited about, and yes, the thought of not having to drive her everywhere is appealing to me– but until I saw her get out of that car, I hadn’t realized how freaking SCARY this is.
So, I share. I share for the same reasons other bloggers share. Some of you will find this post boring. Yeah, this weird lady is freaked over her kid driving– she’ll get over it. Some of you with children getting close to this age will feel your heart stutter just a bit then you’ll go on, secure that the time hasn’t yet arrived. Others will smile and nod because they get it. They will want to tell me that it gets easier.
That, in a nutshell, my friends, is why we write, why we read– why we watch movies and read blogs. We want to connect with other people who share our experiences and feelings and know just for a little while that we aren’t alone in this journey.