A colleague and reader of this blog (a blogger, herself: http://findyourdreamjob.wordpress.com) had a pop at me this week about my Bath Literature Festival post (below). It was, she said, too critical, too much of a whinge. Well, she may have had a point (though I will steadfastly continue to report the negative side of things, if negatives there be). But the conversation did make me think about the point of blogs.
Why do they exist?
Vanity publishing? Therapy? A chance to make the personal public? To offer new perspectives? To entertain, to inform? To irritate?
Probably all or a selection of the above in most cases. Certainly the blog-as-complaint can make for tiresome reading, though in my defence I was very upbeat about 'Jilted'! As a one-time reviewer of theatre/film/visual arts, I believe in the positive power of criticism. There's enough back-slapping and "darling, you were marvellous" going on in the arts, without me adding to it here. No-one's work will ever improve without some constructive comment - positive and negative.
On a more general note, I believe the best blog writing takes the micro and makes it macro - espousing a personal view that has the power to resonate with those of us beyond the writer's immediate world. I also think that the outsider's opinion can be of interest. Not being immersed 100% in Frome life, I hope to provide a fresh view of the town, its people and (especially) its cultural offering. It's easy to take somewhere for granted when you live in it 24/7. And while I'm not arrogant enough to suggest that life-long Fromians should take any notice of the ramblings of an upstart weekender, I do at least hope that a different take on the place might be diverting, if nothing more.
PS This morning I received a part refund for the Nick Coleman ticket - thank you, Bath Festivals!
It's your blog, blog as you like, about what you like and whinge all you like. A blog is a writer’s own take on a situation and there is nothing wrong with that and the more honest the better in my opinion. If someone doesn't like what you say encourage them to comment to start a discussion. Like the slight disagreement you had re the folk festival for example. A discussion makes a blog a richer experience for a reader otherwise it’s just a diary entry. But having said that a blog doesn’t necessarily need comments or a discussion to make it interesting because a reader could read what you say and be encouraged to try something new. Your comments on the del la beshe unconformity in Valis spurred me to mention it to a mate in the pub and in turn it encouraged him to take a walk (which is something he really doesn’t do as he’s very lazy… very lazy) and he loved it. He can’t stop talking about it now… groan. I think inadvertently you’ve created a monster. Bloggers do need to bear in mind though that what they say isn’t going to resonate well with everybody and so comments may contain criticism of sorts. The defensive stance that can often be adopted in such circumstances can put other readers off, but like I said earlier it’s your blog write what you like.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment and support. I would rather relish more people disagreeing with me "in print", so this can turn into a proper debate on Life In Frome - with the one proviso that it is conducted in a civilised manner!
DeleteI'm sorry to have created the Unconformity Monster - does it lurk in the undergrowth of the old quarry, leaping out and arguing the toss with passing geologists?