why blog? a bit of metablogging

16 Sep, 2026

I blog way less on the weekends, and I blog way less on holiday. Actually, I blog way less when I'm not at work! This is because when I'm at work, I'm sat in front of a computer with internet access for 8 hours and when I'm not at work, I try not to do that.

This has made me wonder about what kind of hobby blogging is for me. A way to pass the time when I'm bored? I value the spring of creativity I discover when I sit down to write for five minutes...¹ but not enough to do it when I'm free to do other things and not trapped in the office. (If I loved my job would I even write these?)

I've noticed also that posts about blogging tend to get more engagement - while I prefer the longer posts I write about things I've actually done. For example, my blogpost about Babycham got zero traction and I definitely enjoyed documenting it more than some thoughts I jotted off about writing. I guess enjoying writing something doesn't translate to someone enjoying reading it - and reading it back, I definitely indulged my interest in going down rabbit holes and then also being too keen to wrap the post up to fancy the writing up at all. Maybe this is a reflection of the fact I don't put aside time for blogging, or for improving my writing.

UPDATE: since starting to write this post, a post of mine has reached trending and it's a post with lots of photos, which is the other type of post that tends to be popular that I didn't mention above - lots of images.

I also read a good post by Laura Michet, I have been posting daily for two years, where she also identifies some of these trends though a more critical lens, and made me reflect on why I use bear blog.

I also kind of resist the voice that rises in me when I blog more often - the voice that, when I'm doing something, starts thinking about it as a blog post. It feels like the same voice that thinks about the letterboxd rating when I'm watching a film. Sometimes I'd like to be free of analysis! But this also seems like a necessary step to improving one's writing style or voice.

I also sort of like... blogging into the void? I think I get twitchy the more people I think are perceiving my posts. It's probably a lack of control thing.

I also find myself split on the blogging community... as much as I like reading other's post exchanges or festival posts. I enjoy receiving comments, and I love reading other people's blogs. I avoid entering into email correspondence or other pen pal style activities because I know I'm too flaky to maintain it, and this makes me feel guilty and unappreciative. I just don't enjoy relationships that are primarily text-based. Writing can be like pulling teeth to me! Even with my closest friends, I restrict messaging to low effort links or the outreach message to arrange a meet up in person that's the way I primarily keep my relationships intact. Two or three months of nothing then "it's been so long! are you free to come to the pub today / this week / this month??"

Writing would maybe become easier with practice. The main thing I struggle with, as I touched on above talking about going down rabbit holes, is my brain feels like it speeds faster than my hands... and drags loads of vaguely related concepts into the conversation I would love to talk about but don't have the skill to incorporate into a coherent theme (look at the leaping around in this post - and I deleted a section on phone blogging). Perhaps I need more practice at structure.

But am I getting any of these things out of blogging?