Finding Your Blogging Voice

When TT took to the blogwaves, I was was writing for two of us, and with the very specific remit of describing the process of preparing for our first craft fair. It had to be very textiley and promote the work and thoughts of two very different people, yet speak with my voice. I think it failed on all counts, as on one hand I was told there wasn't sufficient textile content, it was too much 'my' voice, on the other I had friends telling me that they were waiting for the blog to develop and I should let my own voice come through more. What do you do? Well, that resolved itself when the partnership dissolved and I was able to let the blog go its own sweet way.

However, there still remains the issue of how to pitch the blog. I think of the blogs I best like to visit. You can see them in my blog list - there are others, but these are the ones I visit most often. They have several elements in common. Their content is based generally around food, textiles, with a little family,  and gardening thrown in.They are colourful, entertaining, and pretty straightforward, being, I would hazard a guess, fairly representational of their writers' personalities. They don't present the world through rose tinted spectacles, but neither do they dwell too much on the downside of life. They can occasionally present a serious topic for discussion without it ever becoming too heavily philosophical.

Yesterday I followed a few threads to other posts and came across a discussion on exactly this topic, which side(s) of yourself do you expose for public scrutiny on your blog, and do you present yourself warts and all? The comments were fascinating, with the consenus being, I guess, that balance is all, be yourself, if something really touches you don't hold back if you feel comfortable about talking about it publicly, and write for yourself - if people like it they will come back, if not, they won't.The comment I left said more or less that, and I added that if my blog-posts generated such quality discussion I would feel blessed.

So I'm hoping I'm more or less hittng the spot, I hope the blog is entertaining, and informative ( I'm sounding like the BBC now!)and I hope that I can continue to please myself. I'd like to write more about books at some point - not the embarrassingly huge numbers I possess, more review-like.I'll probably get round to doing a bit about folk/acoustic music. I'd like to introduce the non-bloggers among you to more of the blogs I enjoy reading. I'd also love to do a post based on the Somerset Studio magazine "Where Women Create", perhaps taking a Textile Jaunt out and about to visit people and find out about where they stitch, bake, pot, get down and dirty in the soil - who knows....once you start taking a thought for a walk it's amazing what you come up with! I realise, of course, that none of these ideas are exactly original, but I'm sure they will bear being given another airing.

I'd just like to say something about comments. Pre-blog, I left the occasional comment on other blogs. Usually, I felt that I was a total stranger who wasn't 'one of the girls' ie one of the frequent commenters and that the blogger probably wondered why on earth I was bothering to say anything. Now I realise that it's important to comment, for me, because I know the blogger wants to engage in debate - however lowly - and that comments are really appreciated. Especially if they have something to offer in the way of opinion, suggestions, and personal experiences. It also gives you a sounding board, and lets you know that you are not blogging along to an empty room! So comment away! I do reply to each one, and I have to say that I have met some lovely people, bloggers and non-bloggers, by engaging in this way.

 I don't see me ever having an on-line shop, I won't be advertising and I'm not into awards and stuff like that, so what you see is what you get, I have no commercial agenda. I do have a warped sense of humour and it gets the better of me sometimes, but I try and keep it in check, mostly, on the blog.

So that's it, really, this post. It's been a bit self indulgent, I suppose, being in a rather more thoughtful frame of mind than usual. The photos have no rhyme or reason, they were just sitting about in the files, uploaded to break up the text, give it a bit of colour. If you have any thoughts on the topic, I'd love to hear them. Catch you next time.