Your voice
Apr 25 2006I was worried at first when I started my personal blog. I knew that all my friends and family would be reading it. How would I write a blog post so that it would be suitable for both my grandmother and my long time friends?
I was even more worried when I started this blog. I was going to have some kind of professional persona on top of my personal persona. Now my friends and family could read this site, and strangers and colleagues could read my personal site. How could I possibly express myself consistently to such a wide range of people?!
Well, it turned out to be not a big deal at all. It forced me to do something pretty great: it forced me to be myself. It forced me to be honest and transparent. I can't pretend to be something I'm not, because anybody can call me on it. Not on this site, nor on my personal site.
It took some time to get used to it, I suppose. I shared some things on my personal site I wouldn't normally share with everyone, but afterwards it was totally normal. I've also expressed ideas on here I wouldn't normally talk about with friends and family and I'm glad I've done it.
So when people tell you to "find your voice" when writing, they're not suggesting you try to create a brand new voice. Instead, you need to find your voice, the one true voice inside you, and share it with the world.
View 2 Comments | Add a commentComments
1. Joe at 6:33pm on April 25, 2006
Hey Jesse,
I'm glad you "found your voice". It's something we all have to learn, whether we blog or not.
There is no pretending on the internet, so we might as well just be ourselves.
Joe2. The Ultimate Groupie at 10:57pm on April 25, 2006
Good for you! I struggled when I started my personal site (http://fullchangejar.blogspot.com). I started out pretty conservative, sticking with what I thought my parents would approve of. I did not even tell any of my friends that I had the site.
Then, I became a rebel and started posting things that my friends would not approve off. But, if I did not, I would be betraying my voice. So, eventually, I told one friend, then another, then my co-workers, and now everyone knows.
So far, no one has complained. I get the odd look once in awhile when I talk about co-workers, but I figure that since these are things I say in front of them, they shouldn't be too shocked. My recent posting tbere about anorexia was sparked by a co-worker, and although I was insulting, she did not seemed too bothered.Add a Comment
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