Week 2: Writing about yourself on public platforms
1.
Writing about myself online gives me a sense of
freedom. I can write what I want to, I can share my opinions and ideas without
feeling like someone will judge me. Although my writing can still absolutely be
judged by readers, they do not know who I am personally, so I feel better about
it. Yes, I could share whatever I want with my real identity showing, but it is
a lot more fun to do it this way where no one really knows who I am. I believe
we should share our personal dreams and thoughts, even goals, on the online
platform. I think sharing this kind of stuff is interesting for other people,
it gives the reader more of a personal feel. I do think that there is a time
and a place for sharing these things, though. I don’t think everyone should be
posting every single personal detail about themselves and their lives to their Facebook
pages all day every day. But, I do think certain spaces, like a blog, are meant
for that sort of thing. People seek blogs for different reasons. If your blog
is about what someone is interested in, they will probably want to read it, so
the time and place is right for that.
2.
I think there are a few reasons why people are
interested in reading other people’s journals. First, it helps them get to know
you. The reader is able to take in the information you are giving them, and
they learn about you, your life, your experiences, etc. Second, your story
could be a getaway for some people who are struggling with their own reality.
Some people really do enjoy reading the stories of others so that they can
imagine it is their life. Your blog posts could very possibly be helping
someone who is struggling in their own lives, they use your stories to live
through you. It may sound weird, but I know I have done this before when
someone posts about a fun trip they just took or something. I enjoy seeing it
because I picture myself doing it too. Finally, I think people are interested
in the lives of others because it gives them ideas for things to do, or things
to try, etc. You can get a lot of inspiration from others so sharing your life
for others to see can be good in that aspect.
3.
I do think that diary writers tend to write in stream
of consciousness mode. When a person is writing in a diary, they are typically
talking about their feelings, their thoughts, and so on. I definitely do not
feel that this means only the writer is able to learn from their entries.
Anyone who reads the entries has the chance to learn something from it if they
choose to, or if the information in the journal leads them to learning
something. Learning from a journal does not have to be learning a new skill or
something like that, it can be anything. A fact you did not know, an idea you
never had/thought of but that you like. I think people can absolutely learn
from other people’s personal diary entries in some way.
4.
Things like spelling, name dropping,
organization, etc., are somewhat important when it comes to diaries, but not the
most important in my opinion. I personally prefer when things are spell checked
and organized well, but I also know that people tend to just let the words flow
out when they are writing in certain spaces. Since technically a diary is
usually for yourself, you may not worry as much about the way it is organized
or if it has spelling errors. When it comes to name dropping, though, I think
writers need to be more careful in this aspect. If you think that your diary
entries will be out in a public space, be careful about the names you use.
Whether you are talking about someone in a good way or a bad way, they may not
want their name mentioned in your diary or journal. This is something people
need to consider when they are writing. The things you write could very well be
out in the public at some point whether you intend for them to be or not. Anne
Frank is a really good example of this. She probably never thought her diary
would be as famous as it is, but we have used it to learn about her and about
the time she lived through.
-notmyname
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Hello. I agree with several of what's written here. What I want to comment on is proofreading. I get the idea of just writing down what you're feeling and not thinking about spellcheck at the moment, but once you're done getting your thought down I do feel like it's important to look over what you just wrote before posting. Both for spellcheck and to check for other grammatical/continuity errors. These things can be distracting for either the author or the reader. Although once you've checked all of that, sure, don't need to change much else.
ReplyDeleteI wonder MADman if we start to edit parts of ourselves as we edit our texts??? Do we change words as we reread and make ourselves into something through the editing process? Do we ponder over the word HATE or decide to go with DON'T LIKE or skip right over powerful words that capture how we feel as we consider placement of a comma? I am not sure about the effects - just posing some questions?
DeleteI think you do have a point in that looking over what you write before posting is important to make sure the version you release into the wild doesn't give you a negative image. We've all been in a conversation where someone blurts out something like "I HOPE YOU DIE" and then they immediately go "oh my god I didn't mean that plz don't cry" and in most cases they do mean that. Their first reaction was the extreme, but their brain didn't give them enough time to process that they shouldn't say that. Writing can be the same way. It's possible that we'll write something that we don't really mean until it's already published and people have to come to you and say "You messed up big time". That's why I feel it's important to look over and proofread your work before publishing.
DeleteUnless you got 5 minutes before the due date. THAT'S why we have the edit button!
I like what you said about readers imagining it is their own life that they're reading about. All forms of writing are great ways for people to connect and evolve. Writing should inspire and give people hope. If someone is struggling, reading can help them. That's the power of writing.
ReplyDeleteFreedom is an amazing achievement of writing, particularly of writing for yourself. Even when you know other readers will be a part of the picture at some point, I think it is good to start by writing for yourself. If you cannot get your ideas down, then you have nothing to work with. I think that your ideas should always come first, then organization, fleshing out what you are saying, and proof reading. We place the utmost importance on our ability to write a grammatically correct sentence and use proper punctuation that the purpose of writing – communicating ideas – gets lost. Certainly, the mechanics of writing helps us communicate clearly and effectively, even more efficiently, but without our ideas we are not really saying anything.
ReplyDeleteOf course, it is pretty natural to want to have a good presentation for our words. We all tend to judge dull or sloppy presentation harsher than those that pull out all the stops. Even if the ill-prepared speech or the disheveled woman delivering it makes complete sense and gives us a profound insight, it is easier for us to like the flashy presentation of something because it is beautiful and it attracts us.
notmyname, I admire that you recognize that learning something from others comes from choice. Beyond learning a new fact or idea, people can learn lessons to be applied to their own life and better their life because of it. When I hear a story, I am listening to understand, support, and learn from the experience that is described.