Drawn Like Moths We Drift Into The Blogosphere

Yesterday I was musing about my struggle to find a write/blog balance. In other words, trying to establish a proper mix of writing for my blog and writing for my writing. Although I talked about how blogging has helped my own writing, I think I failed to recognize an important thing, and perhaps it’s one of the reasons why blogging has become such a phenomenon.

You see, perhaps bloggers have discovered the wonderfully therapeutic joy of writing. Perhaps THAT is what makes blogging so addictive (more addictive than crack, my bloggy buddy Lime says)

Lately, I’ve seen many bloggy buddies either retire from blogging or scale back significantly in order to either achieve a blog/life balance, or perhaps to cut out that addictive behaviour entirely. Robin (creator of the MeMe Monday meme) recently rediscovered the joy and wonder of her family life and has significantly scaled back her blogging. She’s delighted and happy. Lance gave up blogging for lent -- and has reconnected with the non-virtual world in great new ways. His writing has returned to a more personal nature, with less thought of the “audience.” And the talented graphic artist known online as Bsoholic, the one who participated in my Darth Tater Spud Wars HNT series, responsible for cloning the little spud, recently retired from blogging altogether.

I’m sure that other bloggers feel that same struggle, unable to resist the pull. “Drawn like moths we drift into the blogosphere” (anyone recognize the reference to a Rush song in there?)

As I’ve mentioned, I’ve met plenty of great friends through blogging, reconnected with old friends and stayed in touch with people who live really close but whom I rarely get to hang out with. My participation in Half-Nekkid Thursday (HNT) has helped expand the giant network of friends around the world -- what a fun and wonderful group of people.

But I still struggle with it all. I’ve added links to the blogs that I like to visit regularly, but I’m finding it more and more difficult to visit them all on a regular basis. And for example, every Thursday I feel compelled not just to post an HNT photo, but to make the rounds and visit a group of HNTers, usually the same cast of characters whose blogs I enjoy. When I first started I tried to visit every single person on the HNT list but realized it was an almost impossible task (particularly if I wanted to do anything else that day, like, I don't know, work, or sleep or talk to people). I mean, was I merely visiting everyone and commenting on their site just so they’d visit me? Or was I visiting them because I enjoyed what they were up to on their blogs? Sure, I’m missing lots of fun by not visiting more people each Thursday, but I certainly enjoy re-visiting the regular crowd and doing a little catch-up to see what they’ve been up to. And that’s okay.

I’ve tried to curb my old comment-whore ways and become what some bloggers seem to dislike -- a lurker. I don’t think that’s such a bad thing. I still check out lots of fun blogs online, still enjoy reading them, I just don’t comment on every single visit. Except perhaps on Thursdays, where I think it’s just good manners to wish other HNTers a Happy Half-Nekkid Thursday when I visit them, I try to limit my comments to when I actually feel like I have something worthwhile to add, and not just comment for the sake of commenting. Yes, I know, having lots of comments is nice, and I love getting lots of comments; but isn’t it nicer when the comments are actually thoughtful and intelligent and not just the equivalent of manually entered spam?

So now here I sit on the GO train, typing up my blog and trying to wrap up these thoughts so I can get on to that other writing I do. I’ve tried to think of a quick and nice “5 ways to find a blog/life balance” list -- but I can’t. Because I don’t think it’s that easy. And I think it’s a personal decision that each person makes.

For me, the blog/life balance is not all that much different than the writing/life balance I’ve been struggling with for as long as I can remember (sometimes I’m out living life, immersed into it and loving it; other times, I’ve stuffed myself into the corner madly typing and dreaming and working on writing projects) As I said yesterday, for me, the struggle isn’t so much a life/blog balance so much as it’s a write/blog balance.

But, shy of actually offering advice, here’s something to ask yourself: Is blogging taking you away from something or someone that is important to you? That’s all. I’m not going to suggest what you should do or how you should respond. There is no right answer. Besides, who am I to dole out that type of advice? There’s just that question. Ask it. And listen to your answer.