Discouraged
I'm considering taking a bit of a break from my blog. I'm not sure if
I'm going to do it or not, but I'm just feeling really discouraged by
all the "bad blogger" things I do.
It's not fun for me anymore to write something, and have it be a giant
mistake. I guess that's the curse of a medium-sized readership.
I don't always want to write happy-go-lucky posts about dishwasher fiascoes.
And even when I write happy-go-lucky posts, I get emails saying "uhhh
Jackie, that's not a good idea."
Why do there have to be consequences for every little thing I do? It's
frustrating. Sometimes I just want to be a girl who writes.
13 comments:
Hi Jackie
I know that I will really miss your blogs if you stop writing. I check your site at least once a day to see what's happening in your world. I'm not the only one as you have had over 20 000 hits since you began last Fall. But if you feel you need to take a break for whatever reason, then we will surely miss it. But just do what you think is best.
Love Mom
I kind of have the blog blahs too right now. :)
I really want to know what was in that photo now that you took it down. If your worried about writing about controversial topics, perhaps you should start an anonymous blog? I feel your pain though, a lot of us do. You have to be very careful about what you post on the internet, especially if people can find out who you are. There are just too many ways to get in trouble.
But also if you can take a little heat then I wouldn't worry about it, you don't really do a lot of trash talking on here, but there is always someone who disagrees, you just have to keep that in mind when you make a post. As you can see I can't handle heat, because I stick to the basic fluff on my blog, puppies and kitties. It gets a little boring.
Jen:
It wasn't even that big of a deal. I just found it really funny that a guy who had sent me an email signed his name John B. Doe, Esq. So I took a screen shot, blocked out both our email addresses, and his phone number etc.
It was only a small step away from a kitty photo. But I got a "uhhh Jackie" comment from someone I know that just made me frustrated.
I don't even want to write about controversial topics. I just want to write about my experiences. I don't want to make my blog a forum for debate... I can debate with people all day long in my non-blog life. I just want to have a place to air my experiences... some of them frustrating... some of them happy... without feeling like I constantly have to be on the lookout for little oopsies in blogging judgement.
And you're not alone. I can't handle heat either.
Thanks for your post :)
sgtncI feel your pain. When I did up a few post on the whole seal hunt issue last month I got a few rather nasty emails along with some unwanted comments which I have long since deleted.
I toyed with the idea of making my blog anonymous but Nunavut communities being so small, I'm sure that over time I'd inadvertently leave enough hints that someone would be able to figure out my locale.
For the most part, I've grown a thick hide so I couldn't care less if someone takes issue with what I write. I will admit to being a little careful when it comes to posting about education issues. But other than that any topic is pretty much fair game.
Keep up the good work. I read your blog quite frequently. I think most northern bloggers go through a fit of growing pains when it comes to knowing what to blog about. I always look forward to your next post.
Well since all of the good stuff has been said by Jen and Darcy I will just say that I love your blog. Grow a thick hide and have at'er!
And if I didn't have the boy- I don't know what I would blog about. I think my blog is terribly boring yet people still read it!
Jackie I'm with you. I like writing my blog. But my feelings definitely get hurt when people make negative comments on my writing. I started the blog as a way to let family and friends back in PEI know what I was up to in NU, but it has become more than that for me. I find it helps me relax and unwind and think about certain subjects. I am trying to get a tougher hide as others suggested to you...but I don't think that will ever happen for me. So I will accept the lumps and bumps along with the great comments so many others leave.
I love that so many Northern bloggers read my site and I in turn love reading theirs...don't stop. Take a break if you need to, but don't stop. And remember what I said the other day...the more midlife crisis you have...the longer you live! I think you and I are going to live to ripe old ages.
I started blogging for a very specific reason, but pretty soon it became a lot more than just a way to keep family and friends informed.
I really enjoy the writing, it helps me keep my language fresh and reasonably up-to-date - but I'd like to write other things than what I do now. So far, I've had very few snide comments on the blogs - instead I get it in kind at work. I know some of my workmates read every single day - but they only mention it almost in code.
I guess this might be a result of some typically Swedish traits - and since I am one myself I can say this!
Praise is handed out - but preferrably in conversation with others than the person it pertains to.
It's all part and parcel of a fictional code of conduct called "The Law of Jante" which basically tells us to "not go thinking that we are something."
So, I censor myself and my blog is heavy on the puppies and kittens, when I really would like to rip into things. I have also thought about making it anonymous - but that would feel as if I gave in for the wrong reasons. I, who can't even dressup for a costume party, couldn't possibly keep up anything like that!
Jackie - take a break if you feel like it, but don't let the morons get the better of you!
If you take a break, I will definitely miss you, but I'll still be here when you come back.
You are a great blogger. Readers sometimes get way too sensitive about things. You have never written anything that I thought was a giant mistake. I saw the image you posted: it really was no big deal.
Try responding to them as reader-submitted complaints. That helps me to keep a sense of humour about the people who complain.
I don't care what people think. I never did. If I did I wouldn't have the blog up. The only thing I am ever careful of when I post is anything that has to do directly with Rob's work. Other than that, it's fair game in my mind. I just don't ever write something that I wouldn't want an employer to read. That being said, I'm still waiting for a picture of Sully and a beer can!
Jackie
I wouldn't worry the least little bit about it. It doesn't sound like anything you should get discouraged over. The world is full of unhappy people who try to twist a positive, funny blog, like yours into something that is negative and unpopular. Keep on blogging. I see nothing wrong with what you post.
Blake
I'll just add my small voice to the many. Blog ennui is pretty common, most of us go through it from time to time. I suffer from it quite regularily and it's been three years. Part of mine is I mostly stay away from controversy and as the year comes round again I'm not sure if I want to write the same thing I did the year before.
But writers write... what is the point otherwise? We write to be read, by someone... be it our parents, other nunavumiut, or some guy on Norfolk Island in the south Pacific.
Granted I'm in a position that I can't be dooced from and that gives me a certain freedom to write what I want to say. I do find that when I question whether something I write is appropriate or not I follow the adage of letting it sit for 24 hours. I look at it again and I usually listen to what the small voice inside tells me. If I can't decide right off the bat when I write something I'll fire it off in an email to someone whose opinion I trust, and I will listen to them.
Keep writing, you have a talent. If not on your blog, write a story, or a letter to a friend, real or imagined.
Michele and I started the blog as a way to keep family and friends that we left behind updated with some of our adventures in the north. On several occasions I have wanted to express my opinion on controversial topics (seal hunting, polar bear’s, fishing quotas, union, etc.) and have had to pull back because I am employed by the Government of Nunavut. So, like Jen, my blog is filled with basic fluff. On a bright note folks from old New Brunswick let us know they enjoy the stories now that we are back to blogging on a regular basis. I say get a thicker skin and go for it. Those of us that can’t, because of job pressures, will always support you verbally and silently.
I'm a lurker on your blog, I do have to say that I love reading it and would miss it. But I can see how a break might be needed too. If you do break, I hope you return...if you don't return I wish you all the best. But I really really really hope you come back :)
Melissa
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