One of the challenges with blogging is figuring out how to represent yourself. I know people that I know in real life read (hi, friends!) but I write as if I'm writing to a bunch of strangers. Partly because I don't have enough of a life to justify blogging about it in order to "keep everyone up to date" and partly because it's easier to write as if you were anonymous and your audience was anonymous. That whole things-are-easier-from-behind-a-screen, 21st century complex.
I've been thinking a little bit more big picture about this blog and why I write. I do it because it makes me feel good, I do it because I like connecting with new people, and I do it because I know I'm not the only one experiencing life this way, so we might as well share what we know.
But suddenly I'm feeling like I need more "fluff." I've posted some really personal things about my relationships, my friends, my family, and myself. I'm okay with that but what if you real, but kind of imaginary people, aren't? Do you want to read about how my heart breaks over a single text message, or about the mold in my shower and the bugs I kill in my apartment? Do you want to know about my grad school application process, or are my "current obsessions" plenty?
I'm trying really hard to keep it a mix of both, but honestly, it's easier for me to write about the serious stuff. I can talk fluff with anyone, but the serious stuff, I like to write. Duh.
There wasn't a huge point to all of this, other than to tell you that I'm trying to keep things light with a touch of serious and excessive oversharing of my life details, because that's what I do best.
I really suck at keeping up with all of the blogs that I follow lately, but when I saw this entry I knew that I just had to comment. Personally I think that it's best to do a mix, if you feel you have to...but *I* enjoy reading blogs where people actually write about themselves and their experiences - blogs that allow me to get to know their writers - far more. And I think that you can have a mix of serious stuff and "fluff" and still be a blog like that, but you (by you I just mean bloggers in general, not necessarily YOU specifically :) ) have to be really careful not to let the fluffy posts end up being completely vapid. If that makes sense.
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