Wednesday, February 26, 2025
I have several reasons for blogging. Here they are, in no particular order:
My blog is a diary
I blog for the same reasons people keep diaries. Keeping a blog helps me make a record of our travels. Writing about a trip helps me remember much more about the trip. It forces me to think about what I liked and what I didn’t like, and why. A diary is a place to process emotions and reflect on the day’s experiences and observations.
It is a finite project! Hurray for that!
My blog is a way to keep in touch with friends and family
I want friends to know about our travels (if they are interested). I especially want our kids to know where we have been and what it was like. Some friends would like to plan trips to the places we visit and ma find our experiences informative. Some friends are unable to travel, but they enjoy reading about exotic cultures and distant lands.
To practice/improve my writing
Blogging is very good practice. It makes me think about how to be more descriptive, how to make it more interesting, how to weave the day into a story.
I can try out different writing styles to see what works.
I have to think about what should be fact-checked, which words should be spell-checked, what supplemental information is needed to provide context or background.
Sometimes I come up with a word I want to use and realize I don’t actually know what the word means, so I look it up. That can be enlightening.
I think a lot about precision and accuracy. I try to keep bias and privilege from creeping in. I get practice being objective. I try to remember what I learned in anthropology classes in college. I found a good explanation of how an anthropologist approaches the observation of another culture at a website for the University of Arkansas Little Rock:
An anthropologist is a trained observer who knows the importance of collecting data, in listening and watching what others are doing, in reflecting on what has actually as well as apparently occurred, in researching the context, in applying various explanatory models, and in adopting a broad perspective for framing an understanding. Whatever the topic of research, anthropologists share a particular holistic vision that requires using a repertoire of methods in order to forge a deeper understanding of situations. This holism characterizes the best anthropology and imparts the perspective for which the profession is valued.
I try to practice ethical writing by obtaining consent from people in photos (not always feasible) and giving credit to others when using their words or photos.
All of the above features of writing are skills that are continuously being honed. I am learning by doing and by thinking more deeply about some of the issues while doing.
I think reviews are important
I write blogs to review ships, restaurants, hotels, tours, etc. Many of our friends like to travel and it might be helpful for them to know about specific experiences and about what we liked and didn’t like. Sometimes it might sound like I am complaining or being nit-picky, but this is when I have my reviewer hat on.
I find reviews very helpful. Often it is a little thing that helps me decide which hotel to stay at (or not stay at) because the big things are all the same. To me the little things are very important. It is probably no surprise to many of you that I am very detail-oriented.
Blogging changes the way you see the world.
This is why I keep blogging. It makes me really think about what I saw, what happened, what I felt, what I learned, and what was interesting. I have to think about my experiences in real time. I ask myself, “Is this something I could write about? Should I pay more attention to it?”
I look at things a little differently because I know I will be blogging later. It’s hard to describe, but it is real and it is worthwhile.
Today’s fabric is Pen Pals on Purple - Large, by carabaradesigns for Spoonflower.
I suspect you could add “and it’s fun and I enjoy doing it.” That’s how I feel about my posts. Thanks for sharing your experiences. Becky
ReplyDeleteI’m impressed.. whereas my first thought was oh you don’t need a reason to blog, just do it, reading your detailed reasons was very enlightening. I also appreciated the quote about anthropologists. I do think you are upholding the standard of anthropologists. I was especially interested in your mentioning that you try to write without bias..I don’t blog but when I write letters to the editor, I definitely have biases.. that’s a different kind of writing I know.. the purpose maybe is to convince others to accept my viewpoint.. but it’s also a way of venting for me. You once told me you were reluctant to write letters to the editor which is unfortunate, because your writing is so good, any letters you wrote would definitely be excellent. Meanwhile, please keep blogging and sending me your blogs..
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking the time to write this. Your attention to detail and focus on observation and accuracy didn’t surprise me, but this was still terrific to read.
ReplyDeleteI suspect you’ve also found that having to put your observations into writing helps clarify them.
I remember my mother telling me that James Reston, the noted journalist and later opinion column writer for the New York Times, used to say, “How can I know what I think until I see what I’ve written?”
Thanks again.
Kate