The Second Post

As uncreative as that title sounds, I did it for a reason.  See, I've started a lot of blogs over the years. Livejournal, Deadjournal, other stuff I can't remember. I was always really good at that first post, but by the second post, I was having . . .well, second thoughts about the whole thing. Do I really want people reading my journals?

Second posts are like second dates.  Okay, you go on the first date. You have all the awkwardness, but also also the excitement of it. You have hope for what may happen. I mean, let's face it. As much as we want to pretend that a first date is totally casual, it never really is.

Second dates though . . . that is a lot harder.  You have less excuse for the awkwardness but also doubts about whether or not you can pull off seeming fun, attractive, and mostly sane for another dinner. I think second dates are probably the hardest of all.

Or you know, I assume they are. I don't date.

But I do start journals.  Or I did start journals. Over and over again. There is probably this cyberspace black hole of my good but never fulfilled intentions.

The main difference now is that I've come to that place where follow up doesn't seem so intimidating anymore. I may not sound fun, attractive, or mostly sane, but that's okay.

One of the problems faced by many people who start journals is that they think like writers and not like people who are writing journals. When you're taking Creative Writing 101, they keep telling you to think about your audience. It creates this pressure for performance that makes many people shy away from the blog.

And, okay, some journals are about the audience and only them.  But I think for most people, blogs should be about the blogger. This is your own experience in type.  Other people will glean from it because of that pesky yet interesting aspect where we all find our common humanity.

Anyway, second post is done. From what I hear, on the third post, we get to go all the way.