About Blogging

As an English lecturer, I have to teach students “how to write a blog”. Firstly, I think the textbook writers fail to make a clear distinction between a “blog” – which is your own, free website, which you can personalise and use like a journal, to write about anything you like - and a “blog post”, which is an article you post/upload onto your blog/website. 

It’s quite a technical approach, in the textbook, and of course I have to make sure every student knows s/he has to include a title, name and surname, and the date. Other technical aspects to be reminded of are paragraphing, the ‘Big 3’ – introduction, body and conclusion - and sticking to the word count.  

As a blogger, myself, there’s so much else I want to teach them, and I just hope that those who do enjoy writing, actually go on to start their own blogs and enjoy the journey.

I’ve come to the conclusion that most things that we end up doing well, later in life, are things we’ve loved all our lives, and usually have been doing for most of our lives. For me, writing is one of those things. I started blogging in 2009, but I’ve been journalling since 1977 – 38 years ago. Before that, I was always writing letters, and I know I had a few pen-friends, as a child.  

Over the years, my journalling has played an increasingly significant role in my life, but one truth that I’ve been living with for many years is that, in order for me to feel right, I have to write. If I go for a few days without writing (especially journalling), I feel like something’s missing. I would actually call myself a compulsive writer. When I sit at the hairdresser, I’m given magazines to read, but what I’d really rather be doing, is writing! Yes! Maybe I should buy myself a tablet, something nice and portable, then I could do just that.

My cellphone? Well, now there’s a story. I’m one of those people who use my phone for just a few things – mainly texting, making calls and taking photos -  so if my current phone, which I’ve had for about four years can do those, I don’t see the need to buy a new phone. I actually have a phone which pre-dates the Smart phone, so I suppose an upgrade is overdue. I annoy everyone because I’m not on WhatsApp. :-)

So why do I blog? Quite simply - I love writing. I love writing to express my thoughts, my views, my questions, my frustrations and my observations. Doing so on the internet, on my own blog, was suggested to me by two people, a few years apart. Once I’d started, I was hooked. In my first two years, I think I wrote 50+ posts each year. Now, six years later, I don’t blog anywhere near as often as that, but the truth is, I think about writing every single day. I would love my daily routine to include blogging. Because we share one laptop at the moment, I can’t always access it when I have the time to blog. So, for now, I’ll just do it whenever I can.

I learnt, a long ago, that, when you’re a busy person who takes on extra projects and challenges, you aren’t always able to find time, on a daily basis, to do the things you’re passionate about. However, you always have a choice: would you rather follow your passion some of the time, or give it up completely?  For me, the choice was clear – even though my life is laden with responsibility and duty, I find the time to fit in what I love.

At this point in my life, my loves are playing my guitar and singing, writing, and dancing. I’ve also loved swimming ever since I was a child, but right now, it’s not logistically possible for me to swim. Once I have a car again, and I’ve regained my independence, a lot more will become possible.

So - what are you passionate about? And why aren’t you making time to do it?  

What are you waiting for?