How much is too much?
As a blogger, (or writer in any medium), do you know where that line between getting your point across and oversharing lies? On the January 17 Wayward Muse Show, we started to touch on this very topic. Unfortunately our show is only one hour, and there never seems to be enough time to cover all that we set out to discuss! Still, this topic has remained on my mind in the last couple of weeks.
I've been putting myself out there in blogs and elsewhere online since around 2004, under various pseudonyms. As a person who craves outlets for creative expression, using the world wide web seemed like a natural evolution of that desire. There's never been any one specific theme or rhyme or reason to what I write...I tend to talk about whatever it is that strikes me on any given day. On the surface, I wonder if the words and thoughts I share seem somewhat disjointed. I try to connect ideas and concepts together, though I feel as if I might not always accomplish what I originally set out to do. Though I like to think that even if my writing occasionally has a "schizophrenic" way of unraveling, it's an amusing process to witness. Right? ;)
But why do I do it? Who do I write for?
In past PSO positions I've held, part of the job was to maintain a "character blog" as a promotional tool. I was very good at utilizing that medium and in all honesty, it was a lot of fun too. I was lucky in that I was granted a lot of creative freedom in what I produced and my work provided some good return on investment for my company. What was also interesting is how no matter who my character was, parts of the real me always came through in my writing. I never did figure out if that was a good or bad thing.
Then there is this blog. In many ways, what I do here is work through my own questions, issues and contemplations. I'd be lying though, if I claimed that I never censor myself in what I produce on these pages. For obvious reasons, there are certain private things about myself and my identity that I won't reveal in a blog or any online medium. But. I find myself questioning why put my ideas and experiences out there in watered-down version? What good is it to gloss over the things that truly impact me? What is gained by holding myself back? Who am I writing for?
Self-censoring seems contradictory to the very notion of creative expression itself. There's a difference between editing your writing so it is readable and delivers an effective message, and treading lightly on the things that matter and are close to your heart. I don't think I'm alone in this plight.
Maybe I fear judgment or some sort of negative repercussion if I really let myself go and fully explore my writing. Yet on the other side of the coin, it pisses me off that I even give a shit. I'm a writer. Let the world beware! In the podcast, I talked about writing because I *need* to. Because if I don't write something, somewhere, I will lose my mind. Because there are things I have to say. And yet, lately, I find myself not *really* saying what I want or meant to. What's up with that?
So I ask, how do you determine what is shared in your writing and how far you'll go to get your message heard? Do you ever feel the need to censor yourself? Have you ever regretted sharing something in a blog or in your own writing?
