On Writing | Back in the Blogosphere

After a vacation from blogging, one which lasted much longer than I’d anticipated, I’ve decided to come out of retirement and make my mark, once again, in cyber-space.

Whether or not I have readers left, I know not. Whether or not I was missed, I cannot say. I can say, however, that I missed cyber-space. I missed reading my favorite blogs. I missed keeping up with the musings of my favorite bloggers. And most of all, I missed Writing.

Which brings me to a question often asked by my non-blogging friends. What is the point of a blog? For those who are not fans, a blog is a mirror for a Narcissist who thinks the world actually cares about the mundane events of her daily grind. Well, this is partially true, at least for me.

But in all actuality, I think people blog because they must. Many a writer has been quoted as saying “I write because I have to.” It’s not about money (there isn’t any), nor is it about publicity (most writers reach fame posthumously). It’s more so about the innate need to write. As a thirsty man reaches for a glass of water, a writer reaches for a pen.

I’ve been writing since I learned the alphabet. Every now and then, my mother comes across a poem or short story I wrote in first grade, fifth grade, or high school and sends it on my way. Looking over the unsophisticated prose of my juvenile musings, I sometimes cringe at my poor rhymes or hyperbolic metaphors, but overall I recognize an unrelenting quest for meaning whether through a poem about a junior high crush, a short story about a homeless man, or a satire about the students in my AP English class. And the quest continues.

I’ll not be the judge as to whether what I’ve written is worth reading, but regardless of readership, I can’t stop writing. And thus, this blog is back, and as for now, I’m not planning another vacation anytime soon.