Blog Redo!

I was inspired by Maureen Johnson’s “Manifesto: I Am Not a Brand” post to rethink my blogging philosophy. If you haven’t read her post, please do. In this excerpt, Ms. Johnson summarizes her thoughts brilliantly:

“The Internet is made of people. People matter. This includes you. Stop trying to sell everything about yourself to everyone. Don’t just hammer away and repeat and talk at people -— talk TO people. It’s organic. Make stuff for the Internet that matters to you, even if it seems stupid. Do it because it’s good and feels important. Put up more cat pictures. Make more songs. Show your doodles. Give things away and take things that are free. Look at what other people are doing, not to compete, imitate, or compare . . . but because you enjoy looking at the things other people make. Don’t shove yourself into that tiny, airless box called a brand -— tiny, airless boxes are for trinkets and dead people.”

Originally, I named this site “On Writing Georgian Romance”. I’d created a “brand” or “angle” but there was one problem: I loathed posting. I want to have a thoughtful web presence, but I got caught up in other people’s recommendations. Now, I want a do-over.

What amazes me most about the writer’s journey is that the closer I get to my goal, the closer I get to my core self. It’s taken me too long to realize that, while publication is the driving purpose, actualization, experience, friendship, a clearer “seeing” and all sorts of other side benefits are the gifts the journey provides.

I hope my freeing myself if my self-imposed “brand” I can become a better blooger: more consistent, my insightful, more interesting and more true to me and my writing.

(Note: I originally posted this in 2010, but a quirk of my new web design made it the default link for blog for awhile. That’s been fixed, but I figured I’d bring it to the front in thanks to the friends that commented in the past few days!)