I've noticed this topic popping up among other bloggers lately. Perhaps, one person stopped to think about this fundamental question, then decided post. Soon this post was read by others and the question seized them as well. I guess I'm the latest one to stop and have the same thought. It's a good question. I'm here writing for some reason (or reasons) right?
Anyone who takes more than a passing interest in blogging has had to ask themselves this question at least once. There lots of other things you could be doing with your time than writing posts. Those of you reading may feel free to add your reasons to my comments. Right now I'm going to attempt to answer this question myself.
The Reasons
I remember discovering blogging several years ago when it was first starting to take shape. I dabbled in it even then, but that was it: dabbling. Nothing more came of it until, I the word 'blog' received a lot more press and blogging was everywhere. For a writer, there is sometimes no more fundamental incentive than a place to share your skills with words - and perhaps a little bit of yourself too. I could see that was a primary reason.
Now as reasons go, that is great. But, most of us have more refined (or at least complex) motives for doing things. Mine had much to do with sharing my thoughts and studies on religious matters of a particular sort. Now, by this time, I was already working as a part-time/full-time freelance ghostwriter. I had started honing my skills in that arena while I was simultaneously honing more scholarly skills in particular points of theology.
Then my focus shifted. I wanted to build my business more as freelance writer. I decided to go with a free blog that would double as my website. After the gift of a domain name from a friend, I had ShaunKilgore.com - the very blog you're reading now (hopefully). Now, since I wasn't well versed in the ideas of creating a viable online presence, the blog kind of floundered at the start. Anyone who looks back at my first posts, can see I had no clue what I was doing. It was only recently that I started honing in a focus for this space.
This shift happened largely because of my discovery of the concept of passive income. (If you don't know what this is, do a quick good search.) In a nutshell, it is a form of income that you do not have to actively be involved with in order to get results. More common examples include rent you receive from rental properties, royalties on the sales of different intellectual properties, affiliate earnings, etc. Passive income is what made me rethink my website - at first.
There are other reasons too. One of the main ones still revolves around my desire to communicate with others. I'm a writer who wants to offer good things for people to read. It's a spirit that has prompted me to become a blog, what made start writing a novel ten years ago, and now it's what's led me to become a small press publisher. I love words. I love reading. Books are a big part of my life. As a freelancer, I want to share that too. I have things that I've learned a long the way. More importantly, I believe that sharing information about freelance writing will be beneficial for others who are thinking about moving into this profession.
And so...
As you can see, I have lots of reasons. There may be more reasons than I can keep straight on a given day. I suppose I can say that blogging is evolving into a very personal thing that I hope will help me also be better at the business I'm in - and maybe I'll help others as well. All of this (and more) is why I blog. Sorry if you were looking for a simple answer.
Like I said, tell me why you're blogging. I'd love to hear from you. I'll catch you later.
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