Why do I do this blogging thing that I do? Am I crazy? Have I run out of procrastination ideas? Do I do it for the throngs of admiring fans, and the underwear with which they pelt me? Is it the fame, the glory, the street-level recognition?
Well, yes, all of the above. I love being able to keep in touch with distant friends, and the blog is one way I can do that. But there's something more.
I do this for myself.
When I was struggling as an adjunct, when I hadn't written anything in a year after my dissertation, I needed to remember that I enjoyed writing. I needed a stress-free way to write, with nothing really riding on the results other than my writing chops. I needed to vent, to blow off steam, to catalog my feelings of misery at the time.
My situation eventually improved immeasurably, and I'm convince this space had a lot to do with that. Writing the blog helped me get into the swing of writing in general. Now, I'm producing finished pages at a rate which rivals tenure-track faculty with cushy teaching loads. Take that, you 2/2 pinheads!
Later, I realized that I ran across an awful lot of cool/helpful/weird web sites. Yes, folks, it's a marvelous world out there online. I first got into the internet all the way back in 1996 (the technology actually existed back then). If it wasn't for the "what's cool" websites, I probably would've never figured out what the world wide wub was actually good for. So, in an effort to catalog all of the cool stuff I saw online and give others the chance to be introduced to the web in the same way as was I, I started interwub postcards (that is, after several aborted blogs at the same spot).
Now, I am starting heavy revision/writing work on my book project. I am having to deal with a lot of research. I need somewhere to ramble, to spell out my thoughts, to litter with stream of consciousness thoughts on my work, somewhere to put all the stuff which may either end up in the finished project or just get me thinking in the right direction. So, what did I do?
You guessed it...I started another blog!
It's a closed blog, meaning that not just everyone can come and look. This only makes sense, as this is going to eventually end up in book form. But you, my dear readers, are my friends, and if anyone really has an interest in seeing the process of dissertation-to-book; is interested in the eighties, popular culture, or complexity theory; or just can't get enough of themikedubose, e-mail me, and I can add you to the blog roll.
If anyone wants to see what I'm up to, that's cool by me. But ultimately, even if I hear only crickets chirping (as I do on interwub postcards), this will have served it's purpose.
Plus, the web address is pretty cool!
1 comment:
Every book I've ever read tells us to keep writing - it doesn't have to be academic or smart, it just has to be written daily. I can totally understand why your blog helps you.
My livejournal blog has been very important to my continued sanity - I need a place to rant about my issues with my supervisor and writing process.
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