That thing called writing

Some people think because I have a blog that I work in IT, because I know 'all that computer stuff'. Wrong. I pay people to do that and at work I rely on a highly trained IT department. 

Other people think that because you write on the internet and people read it then you are a writer. 

That's a big talking point in blog world. 

Are bloggers writers? 

Depends on how stuck up you are as to how you answer that. I say, anyone and everyone who wants to be is a writer. If you write a letter to your friend each month telling them all your news, maybe you are a writer. Perhaps you write a personal diary - BINGO - you are a writer. 

You might not be a good one, but that is always debatable, the receiver of your letter might be thrilled and wait eagerly for your monthly news. Your blog might be crap, but you still wrote it.

You can be a writer if you want. Doesn't mean you will be a good one. 

There are good writers. 

There are pleasant and entertaining writers.

But excellent writers, well they are much more difficult to find. 

However. Here I am, being included in the WHY I WRITE BLOG HOP. 

Emily at Have a laugh on Me has kindly asked me to join the bloggers who are writing about their own writing. I have been enjoying learning more about people with this topic so I am jumping on this cart with the rest of them.  All I have to do is answer a few questions. 

Let's Go.

What am I working on?

Where do I start? There are things I write for people because they ask for help getting their words right, a speech, a letter, a note. 

There are little cards, notes and letters that I might send to someone or leave for them somewhere.

There are very few blog posts that are released from my head this year. I don’t even really know why this is. 

I do know why I am not doing so many PR posts. You know why? Because oddly enough, while they can be my most favourite to write they also make me feel really anxious. I enjoy chatting with a brand, hearing about what they are doing, their plans for a product and working out if it is a match for me, then if so, how can I write about the product in a way that is interesting, entertaining and honest all at the same time. A promotional blog post is not like writing a media release. A media release follows a more structured style, they are for distributing information, but they are not the whole story, the journalist will do that part of the work.

The promo blog post needs to entertain and the brand wants lots of people to read it. But how many people is enough? I don’t know the answer, but it stresses me out as I always think it would be nice to have more. The joy of writing the post soon disappears when I get obsessed looking at the stats.

Helloooo helloo. Is anyone reading this?

I write a range of things for work. Patient stories are amazing to write up, they take a long time but I get to be a part of the lives of some pretty fabulous people for a few weeks and I learn so so much. This week I shared a story which received record numbers of hits. I was so happy for the family. You can read the story here.

How does my writing differ from others in it’s genre?

Mainly it differs because I am not a trained writer. 

I have no degree in journalism or English Lit. Nor am I an expert in anything. 

I can’t tell you how to cook or clean your house, I don’t care how you choose to raise your kids, as long as you love them, feed them and look after them, so I am not going to give you parenting tips. I am not a landscape gardener or personal trainer nor am I fashionista or interior designer, so I guess you just get me. Just an average person living in the burbs who likes to talk and when there is no one to talk to, I talk out a blog post and just like that, I am blogging, a person writing/talking on the internet.

Why do I write?

Easy.

I don’t so much write as talk. I like to talk. Heaps.

But I don’t really like public speaking so instead of talking up in front of people, I just blog it instead.

How does my writing process work?

My writing process is very very structured.

That’s a lie.

It’s not and I have no writing process. No blog planner, no schedule of ideas. 

Things happen, ideas bounce within my head, I open the laptop and the words spill out. 

That’s it.

The last part of this conversation is to find three more people to participate in the Why I Write Blog Hop.

I am going to choose the following three people and invite them to join in if they want to, no pressure. I have chosen them because I know they all live VERY different lives, but they are all fascinating and they all give good blog. 

Mel from Coal Valley View 

Tiff from Three Ring Circus 

Toushka from Toushka Lee

What have you been writing lately?