Sunday, November 17, 2013

Farewell LBC

A couple of years ago, a blogging friend of mine, Ramana Rajgopaul, invited me to join the "Loose Bloggers Consortium".  I thought it sounded kind of fun to join them in writing about the same topic every week.  My thinking is that it would push me to stretch my thinking and writing abilities.  But I am now to the point that I am going to bow out.

Some people blog because they want to become better at writing.  This was never my focus with my blog.  But I do think that as I have blogged now for about 8 years, my writing has improved in some ways.  I'm better able to communicate my thoughts in a clear and understandable way.  I realize that I still have some rusty spots in my writing ability, but as I said, blogging was never my way of correcting those.

Some people blog to make money.  I've seen bloggers who get sponsors and advertising to make a little money on the side.  Still others blog to try to increase readership because of a book they would like to get published.  Although I have toyed with the idea of writing children's books, my blog has never been a way to get a foot in the publishing door.

Some people blog to make friends.  Although I have greatly appreciated the opportunity to make friends, this was never my intention when starting my blog.  I never dreamed that I would get readers from India and Ireland, England and Portugal.  But making friends along the way has been a great perk of blogging.

Some people started blogging for the same reason I did, which is to have a place to voice their thoughts, and share themselves with family and friends.  I think I have always secretly wished I had my own newspaper.  I would love every aspect of it.  I would write every column.  lol  I would even try to draw the cartoons, and make up the word games that went inside.  I would love to publish my own pictures for each story.  But it has never been so much about getting readers as it has been about just having the chance to tell my thoughts.

Over the past while, I have begun to see that my blogging has become less spontaneous, and felt more like a chore that had to be done every Friday.  I was given a topic to consider, and felt compelled to write about it, whether I had interest in it or not.  For me, this was hampering to my creative juices.  I found that I blogged less about what was on my mind, because blogging had become a chore.  Recently I considered dropping out of the LBC, but decided to just hang on and see if my feelings changed.  But one of our members just announced that she has decided to leave the group.  She has been a big piece of the LBC puzzle, and it just feels a little empty without her.  That was the catalyst I needed to finally make the change.

I am hoping to get back to the scatter brained, crazy, "out there", grammatically incorrect blogging that I used to do.  I am hoping that my spontaneity and creativity returns.  I am hoping that I will regain my love of blogging.  I have seen glimpses of it in recent weeks, and I am looking forward to getting that back.

To all of my LBC friends I say thanks for the opportunity to blog with you!  Thanks for your friendship and comments.  I wish you all well in the LBC, and hope you will drop by when you have a chance.  I'm not going anywhere, I'll still be here, and I know you will still be there.  So if you feel a hankering, kick your shoes off and drop in and visit once in awhile.  :)

4 comments:

Rummuser said...

LBC or no, your blogger friends will visit your blog and continue the connections. I most certainly shall. I hope that you will visit my blog too.

Grannymar said...

Delores, since I wrote to the LBC, I took time away to myself for a few days. I am so sorry to read that you are parting from the group. It was not my intention to leave an air of unrest behind me. I will take part on Friday to give all my friends and followers an explanation for my decision. It will be my swan song! I wish you well and will check in to read and hear your news. I am way behind, and the optician just called to say my glasses are ready for collection, so I'll be back to check the later posts as soon as I can. I hope he put speed reading lenses in this time! ;) Stay well.

Delirious said...

Grannymar, I didn't leave because of you. As I wrote, I found that my whole view of blogging had changed since joining the group, and I had already been thinking I would leave. Your leaving just gave me the chance to join the band wagon. :)

Amber said...

sort of off the topic, but when I was little one summer i had my own newspaper where I did just what you said LOL