On the value of blogging.

Posted on by Josephine Corcoran

I’m gratified by the number of likes, comments and visits I received to my Not Quite a Post post!  It just goes to show that, when you’ve said you’re on a blogging schedule (in 2014 I’ve been trying to post at least once a week, usually on a Sunday) it’s worth plonking your bottom down and getting on with it, even when you don’t know what you’re going to write.

I have to confess that I nearly didn’t post anything that Sunday but then I read On Poetry and Blogging, by Anthony Wilson.  The article reminded me of the value of keeping a blog and writing in it regularly.  Most of all, this blog is my online home, it’s an easy way for people to find about more about me and my creative projects.   As I’ve mentioned before, my poetry pamphlet is published today (or so Gareth at tall-lighthouse has told me – I haven’t actually seen it in the flesh yet!) and you can be sure that ‘The Misplaced House’ will be available to view in a few future posts.

But I never intended this blog to be a little pop-up shop to sell my books (yes, books, I intend on writing more than one, you know!) and I hope it will never become that.  What I loved about Anthony’s post was the idea of the blog as a means of  sharing thoughts and ideas.  I love the fact that people come to this blog via the search term ‘How to run a Creative Writing workshop’.  That’s because, when I’ve I run workshops in community settings, I shared my experiences in posts.  You can read about my writing poetry sessions with children and young people here and the series of writing workshops I ran for adults at Trowbridge Museum can be found here.

Then there’s the work I do for The Reader Organisation.  I’ve been contacted by people living in Australia (and other places) whose parents,  living in the UK, have been diagnosed with dementia.  My posts about my read aloud reading groups in Wiltshire libraries, and #dementia #readaloud hashtags, have created publicity for this project and brought group members and volunteers to my sessions or raised awareness of the wider work of The Reader Organisation.

I can really, really see the value of blogging.  It isn’t about self-promotion – of course it can be, and, inevitably, that is one by-product of blogging whether or not it was your initial intention; if you blog you will have some kind of online presence, people will be able to find you – but it doesn’t have to be me, me, me.  Blogging helps you raise the profile of whatever projects you’re involved in and that can only be a good thing.

It’s the last day of November today, something I felt in my bones as I walked in the mist along the Bradford and Avon Canal this morning.  At this time of year you might already be thinking about your plans for 2015.  Maybe starting a blog will be one of them??

Keep warm and safe if you’re out and about this week!

 

14 thoughts on “On the value of blogging.”

  2. What a wonderful post I feel too that I have received a great deal from blogging which is not necessarily about self promotion but more about the friendships I have started as a result of staying in touch with people who have commented on my posts in the past.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. I know why I do it. I need it to get my thinking clear, to stop me rambling. Once I can do that, I can share what I think about this writing business, and about writing that moves or excites me. In that way, I come to find myself in a widening community. I do it because of time’s winged chariot. I do it because I love an audience.

    Liked by 2 people

  4. Great post as usual Josephine. I’ve been blogging now for 3 years and wouldn’t have kept it up if I didn’t enjoy sharing ideas/information etc. Also, I won’t have a book to sell until late next year so that’s never been the reason for me blogging either. Like you say, it’s a place to connect with like-minded folk that you wouldn’t otherwise meet in real life and if anyone wants to find you then the option is there.
    All the very best with the launch of your poetry book – Christmas has come early for you! x

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks, as always, for commenting, Helen, and congratulations on maintaining the blogging momentum for three years! Looking forward to reading more of your posts as you head towards the publication day of your first book 🙂 x

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  5. Josephine, you’re so right about the value of blogging. It never ceases to amaze me how posts that I’ve thought were too raw, unfinished …. have drawn the most attention. I think that the search for perfection may not be the right search ~ being ourselves may be more important.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Nice post. I blog because I love writing in general – there is no book anywhere in sight yet! I find blogging keeps me writing and helps me set targets. I’ve made some nice online blogging friends and you all inspire me to keep going with my poetry (and I’ve just completed the NaNoWriMo challenge – it’s nowhere near the stage where anyone can read it!). Blogging has opened up a new world and I love it.

    Liked by 1 person

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