BlogOwner’s Guide to Soul Satisfaction, Part II- Blogging

Now, now, different people talk about different things on different blogs on different themes. However, the one thing that connects all of them in terms of soul satisfaction of the blogger, is that of feeling that you are keeping something alive, feeding something, that there is someone listening- if no other human being, then at least your blog listens to you. 

Sigh.

This is how it all started with this blog, and it may so happen that the story is not so unique .

One fine day BO decided she needed to own a blog and become BO so that she can just say some things OUT LOUD. SHOUT OUT LOUD, without really shouting out loud. So she said- hey, let’s blog! No one will know it’s me me. So I can bitch about anything I want, make fun of whoever I want and nobody will ever know! But, well, she got a comment on her first post and she realised that some people may know. But that did not perturb her because even though some people may know, they don’t know me and that I am me. You know. Semi-anonymous. SO. Lot of bitching happened. Lot of fun-making happened. Whatever boring events highlighted BO’s day, she would go back home and turn it into a funny story for her and people to laugh at. So ANYHOW. There came a point when BO couldn’t go through life’s gifts, good and bad, without thinking “OMG I MUST blog about this!” or “I am SO blogging about this!” or “What should I title this post?” or “What should this person’s moniker be?” or “Haha. You are so paying for it on my blog.”

How to derive maximum utility out of this activity:

Pre-conditions- OBVIOUSLY get a blog, set your template, all that jazz. I’m not turning into google’s Help page here. Love you too!

Step I: Write, Vent, Make It Fun and Funny
Well, what I do is make it all seem funny. You could make it angsty or mean or sarcastic or whatever makes you feel most content. The joy of turning a mundane incident into something funny is that when you read it over, you not only laugh at how mundane it really is and how it actually is something funny (because everything has potential to be funny if you laugh at it), but also makes you all philosophical and you realise that there’s no objectivity in anything. Everything is subjective. One thing can seem serious and life threatening, but if you turn it around, it may sound stupid and silly. It also makes me very, very happy if I can make someone, anyone, laugh. Everybody has their own troubles. But such few entertainers, no? So I shall be funny girl. I volunteer! And more than anything else, it makes ME laugh out loud when I go back and read these very posts. It’s like reading your old journal and getting embarrassed. Or thinking about your old school crushes and going “OMG how could I EVER have had a crush on him? Ewww.” 

Step II: Soak-it-in. The Glory The Printed Word Brings
So, when you hit the publish button, it’s out there. It’s out. Everyone can read it. Not that everyone is reading it, but lets be positive. Hee. It’s technically not printed, but it’s out there. It’s been published. So it counts, ok?! When you see your piece up there, no matter how trashy, how silly, how poorly drafted, how badly edited, it’s still yours. And you are the author. The fact that something could empower me to call myself an author - of whatever bull it may be, of whatever little significance and consequence it may be, but it’s mine – makes me feel so so so powerful (and you know how much BO loves power *evil, manic laughter*). It’s almost analogous to the joy that gardeners get out of watching their plants grow. The joy pet-owners get out of watching their pets grow. The joy parents get out of watching their children grow (or not, well, if the kids are brats, but umm, you get the point don’t you? Or may be even they get the same amount of joy. Not that BO would know.) *Continues with the same poise and wonder-filled eyes as before the slight interruption in thought flow* The joy designers and artists get after completing a piece (you go, S! and Suk, for that matter!) The joy lawyers get after resting their case (*giggles wildly* That was for fun.) Such is the joy a blogger gets after hitting the ‘publish’ button. You’re published, yeay!

Step III: What Others Think
Some people may write only for themselves, but I write so that I’m read. I DO like having my words read, no matter how trashy, how silly, how inconsequential. SO. The aftermath is… almost the best part…. Comments. Wheeeee! This is where seeing that one email saying someone had something to say about what you said brings much joy to you. Therefore, I say this form of therapy is prolonged therapy. You keep getting the returns for a couple of days or so. Then there are oral comments. People you talk to, tell you they agree/don’t agree (in my case they just laugh and go “haha ya” since most of my posts are not like opinions or anything. Bleh.). This way, there is also the illusion that your blog is read by more people than what you seem to think. So you can, as someone put it, you can pick a happy figure for yourself :)

So that ladies and gentlemen, is blogging, at least to BO. It’s not just writing something and posting and then writing some more and posting. BO must confess though, that she had once launched another blog where she jotted down her dreams as and when they came to her. There was one who was a magnificent interpreter of those dreams because those interpretations made complete sense. Of course, then BO realised she shouldn’t be putting her dreams out in public like that. Too scary to think of putting so much of yourself out there. So then blog was removed. But BO continued to consult said interpreter when something was bothering her particularly much much. 

Coming back to the point, blogging is a marvellous way to satisfy your soul, kind readers. Well, of course, for materialistic BO, it is about the publishing and the knowing you’re being heard and the getting comments and being read bit which is most therapeutic, but yes, she also does write for herself at times :) More on that in the next part to Guide to Soul Satisfaction. Pwomise.