Why Bother

I guess that's the refrain of some folks out there in blogworld, anyway.

Yeah, it's summertime, and I'm sure that folks are busy with summertime things. I mean, who'd not prefer to be out doing cool stuff like waterskiing, motorcycling or just going out on a picnic?

And I'll be the first to agree, it's sometimes a bit mystifying, maybe even discouraging to see one's visits, comments and overall stats go down the tubes as it were. Especially when your writing is crisp, the topics are hot and it seems that all the other sites are getting all the action out there.

But then, you have to stop and ask yourself; "why did I bother in the first place?" Did you think your blog was going to change the world? Or change even a single mind? If that's why you jumped into the blogpond, I'd suggest you stay in the shallow end. Less risk there, y'know.

Conversely, if what you have to say has to be said regardless; if what you needed to type would have been written anyway, even if only to a BBS or letter to the editor, then maybe you should suck it up and keep swimming.

Yeah, there's sharks out there and sometimes even they are few and far between.

Too often, bloggers run in schools though. Like baitfish, one can read the same endless stream of subjects, ranging from outrage at the stone-age mullahs and their beheading-happy minions, to the latest turn of John Fucking Kerry's waffle-of-the-day.

And all of these are indeed worthy topics. But after a while, virtually all that can be said about a given matter has been said, and said quite well, thank you. Of course, when a blogger does come forth with a fresh or more revealing viewpoint, even on a tired subject, their posts do seem to find wide circulation. And well they should.

Indeed, it sucks for us who hold down very time-consuming jobs to have to see damn near everything we wanted to blog about becoming an exhausted topic by time we get home from work, do our family things and finally sit down in front of our keyboards.

Big fuckin' deal, says I.

Which is why I don't try to be the next Instapundit. I also don't try to be the next Arterial Assassin of blogdom, nor pretend for a moment that I've the insight or wisdom of a Connie DuToit. And speaking of the clan DuToit, I don't muddle too much into the depths of gundom....Kim's got that topic covered, and does a far better job of it than I'd ever dream of doing.

If I do aspire to any one level of blogging excellence, it would be to weild the keyboard with but a fraction of the alacrity and effectiveness of a Kim, Geoffery or Rob Smith. I know naught of the finer points of the writers art, but I damn sure know it when I see it on my screen. Yeah, Rob'll be pissed at me for calling him an artist, but hey, he paints with the words that put pictures onto my screen and into my head.

Sometimes, artistry ain't such a bad thing, y'know.

Blogs, like small buisnesses must have one hell of a failure rate. And with more and more writers coming onto the scene, the supply may indeed begin to outstrip the demand, rendering once strong voices small, weak and impotent against the flood.

Be that as it may, I think a sort of Darwinism is at work out there, too. When faced with a growing Babel of blogs, it's easy to think that your voice is drowned; alone and lost in the shreiking crowd. And it may be, but only if you let it.

Throw in the fairly new effect of sponsored and underwritten full-time psuedo-blogs like WonkPimpette, or the Nationally syndicated powerhouses such as Michelle Malkin, and I can see where the everyday blogger might just throw his hands up in frustration and pull the plug.

In some cases, I've got to admit that some blogs are better off just quietly fading away into the ether. Others though are great thinkers and damned fine writers who, through whatever circumstance, just haven't seem to have elicited a strong following among readers and/or commenters. But really, is that the true measure of the worth of a blog?

Hell, I'm no judge of what sites will catch on or which ones will fail. In the relatively short time I've been writing, I've seen a few really good ones fall by the wayside for one reason or another. I've also seen a couple that I believe are electronic cesspools attract large, loyal and constantly commenting readerships. And I don't begrudge those, either. Granted, I might question the sanity and judgement of their readers, but I simply cannot resent the successes of those writers. I'd be crazy to resent 'em... as all boats do float equally on a rising tide.

Failiure is not the flip side of the coin of success. No, adversity is what's on that coin's reverse. The very term success, to me, implies a victory against a struggle of one degree or another. It need not be a heroic adventure nor an epic journey against seemingly insurmountable odds.

Being born an heir to a fortune does not make one a success. Conversely, shouldering the heavy load of adversity does not make one a failure.

So if you're out there and writing, and writing well, my advice is simple.

Keep writing for you, it's why you started in the first place. And, just don't let the bastards wear you down, even if by their mere silence.

And if you do quit, do so without grudge, malice or complaint. Never blame your readers for your discouragement, never burn that bridge behind you.

Meanwhile, the Sloop New Dawn will just keep sailing along. Whether the seas of blogdom are calm or beset by storms and raging seas, I'll just trim sails and hold my course as best I can.

I guess I'm just too dumb to quit, and a man too dumb to quit is a force to be reckoned with.

Comments

[Velociman]

After 16 months I almost feel like I can get a point across. That's the only purpose of blogging for me: to try to communicate a little better. Thanks for your sentiments, and you hold your own quite well, laddie.

[Acidman]

If you don't receive my retirement watch in a couple of days, let me know. I didn't put a return address on the package and I boxed the watch in an empty Winchester .410 shell container. I thought "HOLY SHIT!" after I mailed it.

A ticking ammo box. I can see a bomb squad going after that baby.

[Merry]

Please don't be discouraged, keep writing, yours is one of the blogs that I check every day to see what you have to say, because you generally say it so eloquently.

[Key]

Wow Jim... I think I just saw the inside of your mind.

I have those sentiments often. Time is a resource, and it does not seem to be rationed out evenly.

And Rob! You're going to have special agents all over our blogson. What have you done?