It's true…I stopped publicly adding to "Coming to Terms…" I felt like Charlie Brown, going for the mail, looking inside and calling "Hellooooo!" into an empty box. But I couldn't even muster Charlie Brown's sarcasm. I was just…sad. Left behind, once again. By everyone at once.
I decided it had to be about the writing, about the creativity. Obviously, it's no longer about the community or the friendships. And "…terms…" was my vehicle in the community. My lifeline to the friendships. The friendships that have dissolved into the ether.
So, of course, I had to start another blog. Had to go with the "theme" thing that seems to be where it's at these days. These online "diaries" of everything in one's life—like "Coming to Terms…"—are a dime a dozen. These days, if you hope to attract a readership, your blog has to be "about" something. And, truth to tell, I guess I was tired of putting my angst out there. I wasn't getting any kind of response from anyone anymore. Kind of like everyone was tired of hearing it.
But, here' s the thing. Though I started "Hot Flash Café" to be a real sort of record of my journey into and through the world of restaurant ownership, I haven't quite been able to reconcile myself to the "no readership-ness" of it all. I have, once again, as I did with "Brainsurfing," left a trail of breadcrumbs more the size of entire loaves of bread.
But no one has followed. And isn't that a kick in the head?
Oh well. I will continue writing there. Mostly because the café IS the place where my life happens, these days. Because I need a place to vent and plan and…tell the stories. And, there is only so far I will go to try to lead my old readers to my new blog. Truth to tell, I have traditionally had limited success with leading ANY readers to ANY blog.
I'm wondering how long I'll be able to go before I just start emailing everyone I know and inviting them to read.
As if that ever made a difference with anything else I've ever posted online…
Hi, you may have more readers than you realize. I have read you for quite awhile just wasn't much of a commenter. I just recently found 'hot flash cafe', so now I am reading it too. Take care, Sheila
ReplyDeleteAh, Lisa. I've been reading you all along. It hasn't been easy, however. When you stopped Better Terms, I could no longer access your blog because I was not an invited reader. No problem. I snuck in the back door and accessed your newer posts via your being my one and only follower on my blog, poor neglected thing that it is. As long as you write and post, I will try to read.
ReplyDeleteWriting a blog is a strange experience. I recall the first weeks wondering how much of my personal life I actually wanted to divulge to complete strangers and then I would get angry and forget what all I was saying in my ranting. In the interval I wrote some nice posts about my family and some of my past incidents. It really is good therapy and, compared to psychoanalysis, cheap as chips!
ReplyDeleteat the moment, I am experimenting with Self-authoring! Hurrah. I have my own magazine of collected and selected blogs. Take a look and tell me what you think.
Don't be discouraged by a lack of immediate response. Even professional writers have this problem. I read a blog where the blogger has the opposite problem. Every durn thing he writes, an argumentative cluster of critics feel impelled to dissect and sometimes they can be merciless. Besides, if all your readers wrote they would not have time to read.