Thursday, March 30, 2006

Conversation, not Monologue

I wasn't planning on posting today, but the comment from the godmother yesterday got me thinking. Instead of addressing it in the comments, I thought it would be better out here where more people will see it. I'm trying to limit my posts per week, but there seems like so many things to talk about.

The purpose behind blogging was the point mrne brought up that I would like to talk about. She suggested that blogging was similar to an internal monologue. It is true that I said once that blogging for my part has been a way to express things that have come up in my internal monologue. But my drive behind blogging has been different. I really see this whole thing as a big watercooler break or a discussion over beers.

My hope is that my posts serve two purposes. One is to share thoughts or experiences. My other hope is to generate conversations with others or sharing by others also. Quite similar to the comment strings seen at the cassandra pages, the blork blog, and ni vu ni connu. I'm not fishing for validating comments like on many photoblogs. My hope for many posts is that they generate interesting points and perspectives. It's funny because lately I have been better at finding topics for the Metroblog that interest people in sharing. Then again, I only post twice a month.

Yes, it is odd I am encouraging others to comment when I, myself, am on a bit of comment self-restraint. Again, I will elaborate probably next week.

So feel free to comment. I'm interested in hearing from you. Even the opinionated among you, which is, well, most other bloggers. I can take it as long as I have had a good nights rest, unlike last night. If you have any suggestions as to which kind of posts you like, let me know. I'll still post items that interest me, but I've got such a backlog that I can be choosy as to what gets posted. Hope to hear from you.

5 comments:

zura said...

Well I for one love reading your blog. So many interesting and perhaps more revealing than in person things can be said in print. Ideas which might not take fruition otherwise can be expressed on a blog, and in my opinion, greater scope for expression is a good thing.

For myself, this whole blog experience has afforded me creative catharsis for events in my life and others, as well as given me the ready excuse I need to keep up with writing. As side bonuses (boni?), I have made some very cool new friends. So blog on, Chicagoan. :)

Unknown said...

Thank you very much Zura. It keeps surprising me the interest in what I write. I know I find it interesting, but that other do also on a regular basis is a very nice bonus. I also find interesting the globality, OK, maybe just this continent. I have a couple regular readers in Cali and Ohio who I've never met. Blows my mind.

Those are interesting points. It's true that you can go into more depth sometimes than even the most intimate one on one conversation.

I like what you write also. I really connected with your last two posts... except that I'm a guy.

Anonymous said...

a number of points.....

1. Interesting unexpected outing which did not fail to escape me. :-)

2. I know that in the past and the present perfect you have written that you are looking for conversation. acknowledged. And I agree that you have stimulated conversation, ergo the many comments your blog receives. More power to you, I enjoy reading your blog for the many reasons I articulated in my original comment. Blog on!

3. As a shrink, I am naturally going to have a point of view, about how people choose to reveal themselves, the person inside, and why they do that, and when they do that, does it work (were their goals achieved and so forth). My comments were in no way a negative criticism, merely a reflection of the aforementioned. It is also based on my personal reactions post-publication of the many things I have published, and am working on publishing in the near future. You [the English word so inadequate--I mean You as in the non-specific plural--everyone out there for whom the shoe fits] write something up, the editors accept it, some while later, voila, they send you a gratis copy--and you feel you've just exposed yourself to a whole world. What will people think? How will it be received? And then, I can't help but making countless revisions which would have made the thing better, but it's already been published. But the underlying insecurity, authors suffer, is fear of rejection--even if we write something controversial to stimulate discussion. this is especially true about professional writing.

Getting really real. I have a paper in the works, which I have already professionally presented a couple of times and have been asked to present again. It is about a very hot [double entendre unavoidable] but little written about or publically discussed shrink topic: Erotic Countertransference. The presentations have gone magnificiently well, better than I could imagine--with lots of calls to publish it. But I have to ask myself, am I on the fast track or am I committing professional suicide

So you see, conversation is a type of risky exposure, the very same way talking to yourself in public is.

4. I totally agree with Zura, that writing is a fabulous expressive medium. We say things in writing in ways we wouldn't necessarily say in real time, the prose is often so much more lyrical, humourous, rapier, and otherwise delicious.

Blork said...

One of the nice things about blogs is that you can do whatever you want with them. For some people they are just inner monologues, for others they're like having their own private magazine. For most -- including myself -- it's a bit of both, and more.

One of the things I like about your blog is that it does have a personal feel to it, but it doesn't read like an inner monologue. It reads as if its been written to be read (if that makes any sense). And of course, you have interesting things to say, and to ask. What's not to like? ;-)

Unknown said...

monkey, I'd prefer to think this medium compliments real life friendships with aquaintences via the web. I say that because maybe I need that face to face contact still to be sure I know the person behind the words. I have trouble reading the words on their own.

mrne, 1. I thought you'd like that. 2. Thanks. 3. Yes, I wonder sometimes if my subconscious differs from what my conscious want to think. For instance I don't want to think this is all about validation, but it may certainly look like it from the outside. Also my recent insecurities about this whole thing lately may be due to the risk of putting yourself out there. 4. It's interesting because I see the writing more as a medium than an end. Another method to convey my thoughts. But I have to say that I'm really enjoying this.

Blork, the compliment means a lot to me coming from you. I really enjoy your prose.

It's funny because sometimes I feel like I'm writing a newspaper column. Odd because I can't stand most regular newspaper columns. They're way to opinionated. There a couple I enjoy though. Like Babylon PQ in the Hour.