Six things: a blogging retrospective

Nine months. Twenty-six blog posts. Six about books, three about music, two poems, and two more about poetry in general, with the rest distributed across a wider variety of topics.

I have to say, when I started this blog, I expected it to feel very much like "work": an assignment, a task, a thing I was forced to do because I would receive a grade for it. I would be lying if I said that was never the case, but more often than not (especially recently), it's become so much more than that. I've learned to express me, the myself of me clearly, and with that blogging has become as much a hobby as it is an assignment.


Like most good things, this itself was (and is) a journey, with challenges  triumphs, and of course, lessons learned. I hope to present and preserve here some of the latter, for my own betterment and for the betterment of anyone who reads this:

1. It's not about the word count. My tendency at first was to crank out the 200-word minimum and call myself done - but more often than not, that would leave me without saying what I felt, circularly discouraging and making me feel bad about what I wrote. Instead, write 'till you're done. Say what needs to be said, no more, no less. That is what feels good.
2. Others' words are a perfectly valid inspiration. Some of my favorite posts are examinations or analyses or ruminations on words others spoke or wrote - and there's nothing wrong with that! But your opinions are valid too. It might be worth spending more time focusing my own thoughts, without the filter of another's words to inspire them.
3. Feeling behind... just makes me feel discouraged to catch up. This is something I've known of myself for a while, but again, this blog reinforced it: The feeling of being backwards, of being behind, is probably my trait most responsible for actually halting my progress. So avoid that first step. Even when it's hard, even when it's midnight and you still have six pages of physics to finish, staying committed is the best thing, mentally and responsibly.
4. People won't seek out your blog on their own. It's not enough just to have words out here in space; most of the time, people won't care quite enough just to try to find it on their own. But people might surprise you once you introduce them to it. I took the step a couple of times and actually posted links to this blog on Facebook - and the response was nearly always positive.
5. Words are easy. It's not an effort just to write anything and everything - anyone can generally ramble on something given enough time and motivation. But sometimes words aren't enough on their own. The extra effort, for polish, for content, and for deeper thought is well worth the time it takes for the improvement it brings.
6. Blogging is worth it. I didn't know if this was something I would even remain neutral about, much less like - but after this year of blogging, I've found that it's actually something I enjoy for its own sake. So keep it up. Maybe I'll even get to blog for MIT Admissions - now that would be a dream, wouldn't it?