The stories of my life on a little island in the middle of the Mediterranean sea ... and my occasional adventures beyond these shores.

Monday 21 March 2016

Write like no one's reading

I can't remember where I read that. It could have been one of those inspirational quotes on Pinterest or maybe I read it on someone's blog. In either case, it completely contradicts another piece of advice that I came across somewhere else, which is, to write to an audience. Personally, I find that extremely hard to do. Because, although my audience (such as it is) consists almost entirely of women, they are all so different in personality, that I am not sure to which person in my audience I should be writing. So I write with the notion that no one is reading and, strangely, that seems to be helping me find my voice. After all, in this world of a million blogs, I am just another sentence in a novel. What I have to say, may or may not be of interest - depending on who's reading.
I've long ago resigned myself to the fact that I will never write a novel (though my head is brimming with stories) nor will anyone ever ask me to write a magazine article. But I can live with that, as I can also live with the knowledge that my blog will never attract thousands of hits in one day. I am completely fine with it because I can continue to be myself and to write what I like, without the added pressue of making sure that readers keep on coming. There is a curious liberty in anonymity. I don't even share my blog with my closest friends because, somehow, the interaction with strangers is infinitely more rewarding, more sincere, perhaps. Because these 'strangers' slowly turn into friends and as we read and comment on each others' posts, our lives criss-cross each other like wonderful jigsaw puzzles. You see, they help fill up voids in our life that would otherwise forever remain empty. In spite of the fact that we all try to max out on this one shot we get at life, sometime around my fortieth birthday I realised that no one can ever have it all. That's just an urban myth. The reality is, that we all tend to think the grass is greener on the other side but that our patch could be just as green if we only bothered to water it.

I am sure you're all wondering what I'm babbling about and what the whole point to this rant is. Well, I just wanted to say that we all have our own little niche, and yes, there is a purpose to our sometimes rambling words. We might stumble across each other quite by chance but somewhere deep inside us, we know when we have found a kindred spirit or when someone's writing strikes a chord deep within our psyche; and that is why we keep returning. It is not just about the tenuous connections. It is about the knowledge that we can all be ourselves. Free to explore and discover other worlds within our world. Free to travel vicariously to places that w ould otherwise just be names on a map. Free to share favourite books and recipes; and anything else which catches our fancy. Free to be true to ourselves; to write, like no one's reading.

12 comments:

  1. Oh, I have enjoyed your post today. And I feel the freedom of writing for my own eyes too. If I'm happy and I feel good with something I've written, then I'm happy. Something inside feels satisfied.

    I'm wishing you a beautiful day ...
    Brenda


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  2. Beautiful spot on post! Thank you
    Writing your stories doesn't have to end up as a novel. I believe writing them them is the ultimate reward.
    Many of your words are exactly how I feel about blogging, and writing. I write to an audience that I create in my mind that are eager to hear the story I'm, telling, and, for their company.

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  3. Exactly! I write because I need to write or fulfill my desire to express what I feel through words. Although these days, I find more freedom writing on my journal.

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  4. Always appreciate your thoughts and words - always glad to visit here :)

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  5. This was PERFECT!YOU explained BLOGS perfectly..................WHY WE DO THIS!I do believe it is a medicine of sorts for some a way of finding SOUL MATES perhaps............BUT doesn't the thought that you can have a conversation with someone you have never met be exhilarating?
    I ADORE having CYBER FRIENDS...............feel closer to some of them then I do my own TOWN FRIENDS!VERY, VERY GOOD....................who needs thousands of FOLLOWERS?NOT ME.......we would never have time for FAMILY and our COMMENTS on other BLOGS which ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO US!
    XX

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  6. Loree...I just want to say how much I enjoyed this blog post. I found every word incredibly inspiring and plan to refer to it again and again. Thank you for sharing your thoughts today. So nice when kindred spirits 'talk'. Best wishes from Saigon... xx

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  7. The same happens to me, I think I write mostly for myself, it does me good and I love writing. However I have the intention to make a book out of the best post (what I think they are) to leave it to my grandson, because I will never see him as a grown up man and he will never know how is grandma was if I don't leave something I wrote !

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  8. I think to write like no one's reading is great advice. I struggle with writing even the simplest things. Your writing always seems so natural and effortless, truly a joy to read!

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  9. I enjoyed your post so much...as I do all of your posts. It is a joy to have stumbled upon your blog way back when.....How good it is when 'our lives criss-cross each other and fill up a void. It is truly a breath of fresh air to travel vicariously to places' such as yours and spend some time with you. Thanks for writing.
    Farm Gal in VA

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  10. Dear Loree I just have to say that my life is much richer for having found your blog. The words in your heart that you share touch mine. So go ahead and write like no ones reading but know there are many of us who enjoy reading what you write. Have a beautiful week. Hugs from across the sea.

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  11. Your thoughts on writing are so honest and touching to the soul - thank you for sharing so much of yourself, Loree ~ xoxo

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  12. You've reminded me of how much I used to love writing...

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Thanks for stopping by. I read and appreciate every one of your comments. I will do my best to reply whenever I can.

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