There are a lot of reasons for why I blog, but for the most part, it's because I honestly love it. Books have been important to me since I could read (and my mom used to punsh my by taking away my books), and I've always been passionate about finding and promoting books I really love. My dad got me into books (he is the only person I know in RL that reads faster than I do) and fostered a love for the written word in both me and my sister from an early age.
But to get into how and why I blog, we have to go back in time....
to when this is what I looked like
...to a little book website called Wotmania. From 2002 to 2007ish, I was there daily. It was a nerd home for fantasy lovers of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. From there, I met amazing people, a lot of which I am still in contact with (and one of whom reviews on here) but it introduced me to a community I had been missing. I found people that read the huge fantasy tomes I did and who thought about themes and theories as well. It was amazing. (Confession: before late 2010 I didn't read YA. At all!)
Once my participation on that site waned, I fell into an internet wormhole called Facebook.
Maybe you've heard of it?
And I took awful pictures. Like this:
And while I still read voraciously, I didn't really use that passion for anything. But, around 2009, I got a Twitter. And one day on Twitter in December 2010, The Fug Girls made an offhand remark about being on a site called Goodreads. I immediately googled it and fell in love. A bookish social media site? With giveaways and people LIKE ME?!
From there, I found books and series and companions novels and prequels I have never head of. I didn't know what a Melina Marchetta was, or how a Laini Taylor wrote. I started expanding what I read, and what's more -- I wanted to TALK about these wonderful, fun books.
So I started jotting down what I thought on GR (in awful, wall-0f-text ways). But soon I wanted an area I controlled; one where I could review or discuss or post what books I bought. On a whim, I went with Blogger. (Who knows if I made the right choice?) I made a blog. I picked a (now defunct) name. I started posting, and my reviews go longer, more detailed, and better.
And this is how I take pictures now. Maturity.
I blog because I've found an amazing, accepting community where any opinion is respected and anyone is welcome. I blog because it's fun. I blog because I love the people. I blog because this week I got to see my words in a real, actual, physical book. I blog so people will know there are better options than Stephanie Meyer and Jamie McGuire. I blog, even if I am shouting into a virtual void, because it allows me to be a part of a world I love.
(This was waaay longer than anticipated? How did this happen? You get a puppy if you made it this far.)
(I actually don't have a puppy, but here's an imaginary one.)
You were such a gorgeous child! I feel this is a weird thing to say about children. Usually they are things like adorable, cute, pretty, ... but it was the word that came to mind. Also, I'm not implying you're no longer gorgeous. Err, languaging is hard.
ReplyDeleteOh god, Facebook pictures. I went on a massive delete spree last year because, uhm, embarrassment.
Maturity is overrated. All the cool people think so.
Oh, I love how you chose Marchetta and Taylor as examples!
Your final paragraph is so spot-on about blogging. This community is seriously the best. I like how your preferred to your blog as your space. That's exactly what it feels like (to me, at least). I really hope you'll still be doing this for some time. And with some time I mean a long time. And with that I mean forever.
I'm so glad you blog. And that I blog and did World of Books for Phoenix, because although we loathe this state, we do have each other. Also that bottom photo is how I take photos. So we shall take excellent photos together.
ReplyDelete