Why blog?

Written by Therese Doherty

I have been writing creatively for a few years now, and while writing for myself is still both necessary and enjoyable, I came to realise that I wanted to be able to share some of my work with a wider audience, and to tell some of my own story—because we all have unique stories to tell. But, since it may be some time before I am officially published—if I ever am—I decided to explore ways I could self-publish. Blogging seemed to be the answer.

Offerings from the Wellspring is intended to be an outlet for my creative work, and another creative tool in its own right. It’s a place where I can share stories and poems, as well as other musings, as a way of expressing myself and exploring life and the creative process in all its forms. I particularly love that I can combine words with images in my posts, as that gives a new dimension to my writing (and more incentive to take photographs and make art). In general, blogging also provides an extra motivation to do the work, to stop and think more deeply about what I am reading or pondering, and to create something concrete out of that, rather than just letting ideas pass me by to disappear forever.

When I was first designing it, I decided to describe my blog as being about creativity and connection in a living world. The word ‘connection’ has three meanings in this context: (i) the interconnectedness of everything, and the necessity of forming relationships, not just with humans, but also with nonhumans and the earth (principles I try to keep in mind as much as I can); (ii) the connections and friendships that can potentially be formed by sharing my work with other bloggers and readers from all over the world; and, (iii) the connections that I love to find in my writing and other creative work, such as when a resonant concept in a nonfiction book I have just read pops up in a novel, giving me something to explore and write about; or when a series of separate ideas or events join together to form a story. (It’s one of the things I love about writing.)

At the moment I am posting once a week, and usually prepare my posts some time in advance, so that I can sit with a piece, edit it, and source or create appropriate images to go with it. I prefer to write when I feel inspired to do so, not because I have to, so in time the frequency of my posting may change, or they may become more spontaneous. Blogging is an evolving process for me, and not one I want to create rules or constraints for.

I didn’t do any research into the various blogging sites, I simply went with blogger.com, because I follow a number of outstanding bloggers who use it, and if it is good enough for them, it is certainly good enough for me.

Though there have been some ups and downs over the last few months, as I launched Offerings from the Wellspring, and began to find my way as a blogger, I am happy with what I have achieved so far. The number of readers may not be huge, but people do seem to be coming back for more, and I appreciate that greatly. I also love getting comments, so if you pay a visit to the Wellspring, and you like what you read or see, please do leave a comment. It would make my day.

http://offeringsfromthewellspring.blogspot.com.au/