days until I return home
I’m a little worried that I don’t seem to be able find this site through any of the search engines I’ve tried -- I submitted it to all of them last week (via SiteAdd). I would like this page to be easy to find. I’ve known quite a few writers who say they write for themselves, and don’t care if anyone else ever reads their work. I’m sure I would be a better person, and probably a better writer, if I felt that way, but I don’t.
I do write partly for myself; writing my thoughts down in a coherent fashion helps me to clarify them and to follow each thread to its natural end. Otherwise, I’m apt to have several idea-threads swirling and tangled in my own mind, never taking the trouble to separate and follow each one.
More than anything, though, to me, writing is a way to communicate. I do hope someone is out there, reading this and saying, "Yes, I feel that way too." (Yeah, well, okay -- I also hope someone out there is saying "She’s pretty good, for someone who doesn’t think of herself as a writer." I believe Mechaieh’s phrase is "applause whore".)
I never claimed to be consistent, though. So far, I’ve been reluctant to mention this page to anyone I know elsewhere. The three people whose own journals got me hooked and convinced me to start dichroic know about it (Credits: the other two are Phelps and Evilena) but it took me several days to bring myself to tell even T. about it. I’ve told my brother, the writer, though I don’t think he’s surfed over here yet, and stealthily stuck the URL in (once, with no explanation) under my signature on a posting to the e-list I moderate, and mentioned it to one other person because I was trying to persuade her to start her own journal. (She’s done some writing about rowing that I think should be more widely accessible.)
I’ve been loath to "advertise" more, because it would feel like bragging about something that may not be worth bragging about. Also, I’m not sure I want all of the people I know In Real Life, or even on the Net, to see this: what if I start rowing again and want to complain about someone in the boat with me? What if I say say one of my listsibs is a troll, and s/he reads this? What if I admit to having lustful thoughts, and my mother reads this? (Well, she could probably deal with lustful thoughts....but what if they led to actions?)
Clearly, these problems aren’t unique to this forum -- the same issues would have plagued anyone who ever published a book any part of which was inspired by real life, or who ever wrote a newspaper column about anything other then bridge (and maybe to some of those), or to any actor who infused his/her emotions to make a fictional character become real.
No, I haven’t been reading Henry James. Why do you ask?
So anyway, if you’re reading this, and you happen to feel like sending me a note, or filling in the guestbook, feel free. If not, I’ll just assume you (plural ‘you’) are out there, and that you’re all wise, witty, appreciative, personally attractive ... and busy.
Posted by dichroic at March 28, 2001 10:31 AM