Monday, May 27, 2013

A Letter To My Readers

To My Wonderful Readers,

There's a popular thought which goes around the blog world. "I don't blog for the numbers and for other people, I blog for myself."

I'm calling BS.



To a point.

Any artist, whether they write, draw, sculpt, paint, sing, play, act, direct, whatever, need to do it because they love it. Their art comes from the heart and if it doesn't, they need to stop or at least figure out where their love went and find it again.

However, you cannot be the only reason you do what you do. I remember my band director telling us once (I think it was during drama club because he ran that too... but it was a long time ago so I don't remember) that if we only did art because it made us feel good we were selfish. If part of your motivation wasn't to help other people experience something, then it was selfish.

Family members, old friends, new friends, friends I've made because of this blog, friends I haven't even met yet who have all read my blog,

Thank you.

I write because it makes me happy. It's what I do, it's what I've always done. I'm a storyteller. But it's not always fun. It's not always easy. Sometimes I wonder if anyone bothers to read what I write or if anyone would ever want to. When I don't see that little number growing on my follower count, I get a bit discouraged.

Then a friend will tell me when I run into them that they've been enjoying reading my blogs this month.

Someone from home comments every single day and sometimes even follows up with a text message later.

I meet friends I've made through blogging. Sometimes we exchange cell numbers and we have text conversations. Someone on their blog recommends mine to their own readers.

Then there are the readers I have no idea about. The ones who don't comment or tell me they are reading - and that's okay. They're still there reading the words on the screen.

You all have put up with a lot of crap from me. Some amazing posts... and some not so amazing posts. GIF after GIF and picture after picture of different things I fan-girl about which you may not even know what it is. Many of you don't have the same faith as I do, but still put up with letting me share mine. I've been able to share my ridiculousness, insecurities, thoughts, and everything else and haven't placed judgement. You look at vacation photos, let me talk about teenagers, have read far too much about books and Harry Potter than you thought you ever would.

I hope after the last few years I've made you laugh and smile, maybe think sometimes, maybe be inspired sometimes.

While I write for myself, I write for you too.

So, thank you.

<3 emily="" p="">

Love letter
Source

Today's prompt: A Letter To Your Readers

4 comments:

  1. There is no such thing as too many posts about books and/or Harry Potter. Just saying...... ;)

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  2. Right you are about BS. You do sometimes see people write that, but if they really don't want to read, or get comments why not just write a personal diary? It's the back and forth of comments and visits...interaction is the name of the game, that's what blogging is all about.

    Letter May challenge

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  3. Great post!! You are a great writer and I'm glad it makes u happy to write because I really enjoy reading it :-)

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  4. Emily, I often read your blogs just to hear the thoughts of an intelligent much younger woman. (I do worry about the input of Harry Potter in the minds of our children but I read E. Nesbitt, and fairy tales when I was a child - some of which gave me nightmares!! and I guess I didn't turn into a werewolf or witch. I worry about the slippery slope of acceptance of things the Bible says are evil that we accept as entertainment and acceptable in current society.) I too love to write, started a blog but don't think anyone ever read it, so I got discouraged and quit. I think I may have to start again.....maybe someone would read it sometime...I do agree that it is easier to write (or speak) to a larger group than it is to a small or non-existent group. However, in any kind of art, there is always the on-going discussion of whether you make something marketable to the masses or whether you create something out of your own imagination and creative inspiration that may not appeal to the general market but might truly be great art. Okay, enough...get a blog already, right? Anyway, there are people lurking and reading, Emily, so never give up.

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