I’ve been having a think recently, a dangerous thing for me to do I’m sure you will agree. I’ve not been thinking about the state of the world, how to solve global warming or even just how to stop bloody idiots from pushing their prams out in front of the fast moving car making all the noise and lighting up the street with blue flashing lights.
No, dear reader, I’ve been thinking about ‘Blogging’, more specifically the ‘Blogging wot I do’.
It seems to me that I currently have two part-time jobs, each of which take up more time than any full time job. So on one hand I work 38 hours a week or so racing around the streets dealing with the sick (or supposedly sick). On the other hand, I maintain this blog, as well as keep up with what is going on in the ‘blogosphere’, answer emails about this blog, and try to come up with new ideas. While I haven’t timed myself, I have a feeling that I do spend a considerable fraction of my time blogging, and doing the work around blogging.
Except for this weekend, when I took some time off both my work activities.
Please realise that this isn’t a moan – work can be enjoyable, and in my case it is, I love my paid work, and I love blogging (or at least I do when I haven’t got writers block).
I just think that I have made a transition from ‘blogging’ to ‘writing’. Don’t ask me when this happened, I have no idea, but I’m thinking that I am now a writer who writes in a blogging format.
So blogging (at least for me) has now become a style rather than content.
It’s at times like this I wish I’d done something more academic in college, rather than learning to reflect on how to best wipe someone else’s arse.
There also came a point where I started considering myself a ‘professional blogger’. Again it’s something that I can’t quite put my finger on – but it may just be because writing this blog has become such a big part of my life, and because I’m now considering myself unpaid Public Relations for the LAS.
So, what does all this waffle mean? Ultimately very little. I love blogging, and will continue until I completely run out of things to say, or get the sack for saying something I shouldn’t. Maybe I’ll start writing on some different subjects, maybe even on completely different formats. Whatever happens I’ll be sticking with the tried and true on this site.
Working on different subjects/formats means that I’ll be working more hours on my ‘second job’. Work that I don’t get paid for.
Am I bloody mad?
Apologies to you all, I’ve had this rattling about in my head for some time, and I just needed to get it out ‘there’ to clear some room for some other stuff. It gets crowded in my head sometimes.
Front to back. Pretty much applies in both cases.
Interesting post. I started blogging because I thought it would get more writing done. Although I wrote bits and pieces before, they took too long before I was satisfied with them so not much got written. Now after just writing whatever comes into my head when it does come, I feel dissatisfied that it is rambling and doesn't have a proper start, middle and finish, like a proper journalist's article. You seem to manage that better than me.Do you plan what you write before you write it?
Ahh, to have something to write about, that would be bliss.All I turn out is waffle that's run around my head for hours or days on end which often doesn't have a start, middle nor end.
The desire is there but the content isn't. Tis pants.
Well…If I'm at work, then often something will occur to me, and I'll write it up, all the time trying to be as interesting as possible.If I'm not at work, then all bets are off.
What I do do is tend to write something as a vague stream of consciousness thing, and only tidy it up a little. I'm guessing that this means I have some idea of what I want to say.
Hmmm…you've given me something to think about.
Stream of consciousness is how I write. When I try to 'control' it more then it becomes stiff.Good to see you back. I just found your blog last week and was beginning to miss reading you everyday.
Write what you want, how you want, when you want, as long as you enjoy it. That's all that matters really 🙂
Well, I definitely think you are a writer. Yours is one of the first blogs I read (fairly recently, I'm a late starter!), and it continues to be well written and interesting. I like the way you write about the people you work with and for, it is good to hear a professional who is not cynical about patients yet has a sense of the ridiculous (which i guess you need).if this comment is giving you a big head, well, I guess that'll be punctured soon enough.
Meanwhile, keep up the good work …..