Shouting into the void: why there’s no such thing as a personal blog

Hellooo??? Anybody out there?

Writing a personal blog is like shouting into a dark room – I don’t know if anyone’s there to hear my words.

It gives me a sense of freedom. After all, if no one’s gonna read this, I can say whatever I like.

I can bore my readers with long descriptions of what I had for breakfast (muffins with Marmite and a glass of orange juice, since you’re asking), rant about my opinions or witter on tediously about the enthralling highlights of my uneventful life.

I don’t need to worry about political correctness or topicality. I don’t need to be stunningly original. I don’t need to ‘focus on keywords’ or ‘optimise my writing for SEO’ or any of that crap.

I can just write.

And if most of my blog posts are just pebbles, it doesn’t matter as long as a few turn out to be diamonds.

But there’s a problem.

That freedom is illusory.

The truth is, there’s no such thing as a personal blog.

No one wants to write for an audience of one. We only create to be appreciated by others.

If I were truly writing just for myself, I wouldn’t need to publish it on a blog where anyone could read it. The stuff I don’t want people to read is scrawled on a notepad by my bed, or saved as a Word document on my computer.

And this is why so many ‘personal blogs’ are abandoned after a few half-hearted posts. “Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose,” as the song goes.

So if you’re reading this – leave me a comment below, so I know I’m not alone in the void.

And include a link to your personal blog: we diamond-hunters must stick together.

 

How to Write a Personal Blog That’s Actually Worth Reading