I’m a little tired of blogging about my activities.
I have many activities left unblogged, like my durian trip, Kuching experiences from half a year ago, a TVC shoot and a restaurant visit.
Activity blogs are very easy to write because you can post a whole bunch of photos with captions and people seem to be satisfied with that. But doing it that way bores me. I hate writing templates. Like:
Today I went here.
[Picture]I saw this.
[Picture]This is me (obligatory camwhore shot) being in this location.
[Picture]Here are my friends making faces at each other because they are so thrilled to be enjoying this activity.
[Picture]And here is a paragraph of text describing how I wrestled with an orang utan who had escaped its cage because I had made faces at it, causing it to think that I was a banana. Blah blah blah.
[Picture]
I have this compulsion to make every one of my posts interesting by finding different ways to write them. But, after a while, there are only so many ways you can innovate with a certain kind of posts. Also, it’s very hard to be creative and out-of-the-box every single day.
When I find myself starting to write templates, an aversion to writing will develop and I will get a writer’s block. And that’s when I force myself to do something different.
Which is why I’m kind of just talking rubbish today.
If you’re a long-time reader, you may have noticed that my writing and blogging styles change with time (like how my fashion style changes). It’s a conscious effort to not allow myself to become stale.
Yes, I do differentiate writing from blogging.
Writing is just writing words. It’s the technical skill of linguistics and expression.
Blogging has more to do with layout. It involves more elements. It’s how you clap together a bunch of words and photos to entertain the reader, making sure there’s a right mix of each. And maybe spice things up with videos and other interactivity options.
That’s what my kind of blogging is about, anyway. And that’s why blogging is so much harder than mere writing, for me. Blogging is writing and more.
Writing is so easy. I just have to tap on the keyboard and the words come out.
Blogging requires a lot more work because there must be photos and videos. The average Internet surfer does not want to see walls of text. If I don’t have photos for a particular entry, I have to draw something. And you can tell that I can’t draw for nuts.
The average Internet surfer also does not want to read graduate theses, so there must be economy of words. Every word in an entry must have a reason for existence, the reason being to offer the reader something, whether it’s information or entertainment.
I have a self-imposed rule: If I don’t enjoy writing it, no one will enjoy reading it. DELETE and start over.
All those wasted words in the virtual bin. I could cry.
But, for me, that’s part and parcel of being a blogger who cares for her readers. At the end of it, my only hope is that my readers care enough back to leave a comment.
Please tell me this is NOT in response to Jeff the dumba**’s comments on the other post!
No, of course not. How could it be? It’s a totally different topic altogether!
Just sounded a little down. Sorry :(
*Comments*
here’s a comment. happy. :)
RLM: It’s as I said. Tired of posting activity blogs. :P As you can see, I haven’t posted an activity blog in about a week. So I kind of ran out of things to blog today, so it became this, lol.
Swordplay: Doh. :)
tvbaddict: LOL. Now I’m going to get a whole series of people just posting a “comment”. :P
Way to go, Sheylara! I appreciate the effort you put into blogging each topic almost everyday! Keep it up with ur fine blogging style! =D
Thanks, Precish. Your comment is much appreciated! :)
Some of the more/most interesting posts of yours don’t necessarily have photos or long detailed stories; such as e.g Goonfather’s adventures with random people who call his phone to sell him stuff.
If you felt that writing a post was meaningful in some way, it’s probably an interesting post already. Like this blog entry for example.
Do I really have to comment?
not many wanting a bish like i do. :D
With or without pictures, your unique brand of Sheylara humor will always keep people coming back for more. I know i almost always end up chuckling while reading your blog. Even an entire series of posts dedicated to a couple of hamsters had me hooked, for crying out loud.
Hey Sheylara, I’ve been following your blogs lately and I really like the touch of sincerity in them.
Could it be the commercial obligations, the desire to cater to the tastes of the many readers that have led to this writer’s block? Would taking a break and blogging about something you really want to talk about help?
If it does, do so. I’m sure your followers will understand :)
Kim: Thank you! I’m glad to know that there are readers who actually read my words and not just look at pictures. :P
minou: Yes! You must comment every day! Haha. *being a tyrant*
tvbaddict: I am running out of bishes already. All kena reserved by you. lol.
Lex: Aww thanks. :) I love readers who read my words between all the pictures! ;)
heyzanie: Well, I don’t do that many commercial posts, so that definitely won’t affect my writing. But maybe having to cater to different tastes does take a toll. Mostly, though, I think it’s just that sometimes people fall into a monotonous rhythm. And I’m really scared of rhythms. I crave change. Haha. But change isn’t easy to achieve at times. Thanks for your encouragement, though! :)
i have been reading your blog regularly since forever! (although lazy me has never commented or taken part in any contests)
Unlike other blogs, I keep coming back for updates. Hence, I guarantee you that your effort into making this blog enjoyable reading has not gone to waste.
And yes, I will endeavour to comment more so that you will keep blogging. I do care enough to leave a comment! Jia you!
Thanks, longjin! Lovely of you to post a comment as an encouragement to me. :) Thanks for being a forever-regular reader! Hehe. :)
WTF Lies. You hand your bishes out to me like they’re free.
I hate joo.
Most in self-defence, all deserved. You can’t deny that!!! You are teh suckaaaage! Bwahahaha. :)
Sheylara – Maybe it’s time to go whipped by Dr. Evil again ;P
heyzanie: Haha. I give up on California Fitness. They still haven’t announced the result of the BodyAge Challenge. It’s been months!
I guess it is good for you to task yourself to always be better, but your daily writings have never felt stale or dull. You have a gift for seeing the positive aspects of things and places, and you are also good at highlighting those simple pleasures of life that make life worth living. Keep up the fantastic work!
Moi no find your blog boring leh or else moi wont come back for more. (interesting too to read on goonfather’s “adventure” with telemarketer, wrong no. and unattended camera). Keep posting!
LoL @ your self-defense claim. I need to defend myself from you. Eh quit stealing my lines. You are teh suckaaage not me.
Hey there! *comment*
@Sheylara: I’m sure you’re alright, but every once in a while, even the best of us need a little reassurance and affirmation. I’m glad us readers could give you that:) Whether we leave a comment or not, you know we’ll always look forward to your updates:)
ohh.. RN is still around. plurk banned from office?
@tvbaddict: Hey bro!:) Not yet lar, but nowadays really got no time…:P
RN! Save me!
TVB, you want her bishes, I got alot. You can be my meatshield.
djskyler: Aww, thanks for the flattering analysis. Since it takes one to know one, you must be a really positive person who enjoys the simple pleasures of life too! ;)
ByPassing: Heheh, your nick becomes ironic after you’ve left comments here several more times. You’ve stopped bypassing and become a returner. :P Thanks for your comments!
Yoi: If you would stop being a moron to me, I would stop bishing you, you know. :P You should take a leaf from tvbaddict. He accepts his bishes cos he knows he asked for them. Haha.
abraxis: lol. hey there back!
RN1209: Of course I’m alright. :) Always feel good after finishing a blog. :P You’ve been a true friend and supporter all this time, so thanks for that! ;)
Shey: NOO! You called me a moron! How could you?! After all the joy and fun I bring!
I certainly did not ask bishings from you too!
I didn’t call you a moron per se. I said you’re a moron TO ME only. :P Therefore you deserve the bishings.
You still used the word moron. I’m butthurt.
Keep writing Sheylara!
I am also one of those who read but dont post comments or participate in the comments regularly.
Your blog truly makes my day, so please keep on writing! ;D
PS: Your drawings are very cute. Hahaha!
Yoi: And you used so many other words. So? We’re not in a vocabulary competition here. :P
TaintedCross: Thanks for the compliments! Aww. Your comments make my day too. ;) By the way, I’ve sent you several e-mails over the weeks regarding your prize from GGF. I wonder if you’ve received them?
@Sheylara: It’s good to know that you consider about your readers. I understand your situation, I also feel that way sometimes when updating my blog. Please dun change, you are doing alright. Despite your busy schedule, you still manage to churn out posts that entertain us, really appreciate what you have done!
Been a fan since coming across your post on the iphone launch. You convert my wife with your regular makan post. Looking forward to your durian trip post, no matter how out of date that may be. ;)
P.S. Spotted you on TV again on that Mediacorp series staring Chen Songlin and Chew Chor Meng.
tiger: OMG… I keep getting haunted by those old shows! Haha. But hey thanks a lot for your kind words!
It’s interesting, though, cos I didn’t realise that there are people who read my blog for the makan posts, cos I don’t do food reviews in the conventional sense, and I consciously limit my food posts sinceI don’t want to be a food blogger. Haha. :P
Still wondering if I should blog about the durian trip. As you know already, the durians CMI. :P And the only enjoyable parts of the durian trip were the non-durian parts, lol.