I have written quite a few pieces and posts since I wrote the last post I published here, “I am Daddy’s Girl” as part of a blog hop for Father’s Day by the amazing ladies of Generation Fabulous. But I have not published them here. I did publish a piece on Medium. Writing as positive of a post as I could at the time wasn’t that hard. It is writing the negative that is difficult. The serious reflection I have been doing turned out to have been me going through a sort of journalistic checklist to see if I am missing any of the major elements of informed writing.
What?
It is not recommended that you be a cranky, bitchy blogger, not unless your wit is so powerful that it can frame the snark as humor, in which case you may soar to the top of mommy blogging charts. Perhaps that is why I have written predominantly about issues in politics, peace, tech, and information.
Who?
Reporting and essay construction can be tiresome tasks for most people. Personal reflections, sharing, and topical blogs are forms quite distinct from more formal expositions. Most blogs are more akin to a personal letter than a letter to the editor. My writing, or so I have decided, it most often akin to a letter to the editor with uncomfortably personal facts included. This is not by accident. I probably write for a population of about three readers in the whole world, if I write for people who are like me. But I write, and have always written, for several groups of people.
Where?
Ever since I wrote the post about how I am like my father, I have been struggling with where I have to go next in the writing of my memoir on growing up on the receiving end of medical child abuse. I so want the writing to be completed, and it will be, come hell or high water by the end of this summer. I so want to dedicate myself to other topics. I will of course spend time marketing it, and speaking about how I have identified and dealt with factitious elements and processes that are woven throughout my life. But I will put daily thought about things past behind me.
When?
But my understanding about the process I use to write will stay with me.
Why?
I find that nearly every piece of writing is can be attributed to one of these five motivations:
- It provides me with clarity.
- It may be of use to someone else.
- It may help someone recognize a situation that needs attention.
- It may help us all understand the complexities and consequences of “invisible” behaviors.
- Few other people seem to write well about perception and processes.
If you write a blog, do you ever ask yourself any of these basic questions?