On the pressure to produce content

So I was doing my usual Reading of The Blogs and was on Naiv's site when I noticed something strange.

My blog was on the links.

Whoa /Joey Lawrence

At first I thought it was amazing and cool.  Wow, someone not only read my words but also thought others might want to read them.  Crazy.

And almost immediately, I was hit with a mini-panic - that means others are actually reading what I write!

Yes, of course that was always the point but there's something about the reality of it happening that just struck me.  And then I was hit with this pressure to consistently produce quality posts and soon.

Cue further mini-panic.

After I got my head about me, I started to think about what that really meant for me.

One of the classic pieces of advice for writers, especially bloggers, is that you need to write for yourself. If I was doing this for a paycheck, I might need to tailor what I write for an audience, but I'm not, so that isn't an issue.

What I need to do, and plan to do, is write for me as best as I can. I need to work at a pace that works for me. I need to write about what interests me and in ways that I like. And if no one comes for my conversations, that's okay. Because if I'm having a conversation I don't enjoy but it pulls in lots of people, that won't be fun. And if I do end up actually attracting readers, the ones that come and stay will ultimately be ones that like (or at least understand) my writing quirks. Which will make my writing more natural and easier.

Since I'm still new at this (12th post right here and testing the scheduled post out for a second time) there is quite a bit to learn. This might seem like an odd post in and of itself, more like it should be an internal dialogue with myself. True to a point. I want to put this up for three reasons.

1) If there are other newbie bloggers or soon-to-be bloggers out there they might see some of my stumbles and experiences and learn from them.

2) I hope to keep this blog going for a while and it will be interesting (and painful) to watch my writing develop over time.  To see my voice develop.

3) It's for me.