What Inspires Us to Blog?
Seven bloggers in the WordPress.com community tell us what motivates them to share their art and stories.
Every day, people from all around the world start a site on WordPress.com to share everything from photos from their latest adventures to deeply personal stories from their lives. What motivates them to do so? We asked seven bloggers from the WordPress.com community to tell us what inspires them to blog. Here are their responses:
Mica, Busy Mockingbird
My primary reason for blogging came from the multitude of projects I have going on all the time. A friend once said, “Oh, you’re so creative — I could never do THAT,” and I insisted that all art is trial and error. So I started the blog to share ideas about what I’m doing, things I learn, mistakes I make — just to show people that art isn’t always some mystical, magical, PERFECT thing. It takes work and practice and mistakes, and it’s okay to have fun doing it! I always get such great feedback from people saying, “I think I’m going to give that a try!” — which always makes me smile.
Sarah, Problems With Infinity
So, I can be an excessively lazy person. I don’t mean just your average lie around in pajamas all day lazy, I’m talking like wear dirty socks at least three days too long because I can’t be bothered to do a load of laundry, and also deciding that washing my hair is just too much work and “hair wadding” is probably the next big fashion trend anyhow, so why not start early? But I’ve learned over time that I can trick myself into being less lazy about blogging by promising myself brownie rewards once I finish a post. I guess you could say that a main inspiration for me to blog is a combination of my highly tuned skills at self-trickery and warm gooey brownie treats.
“Blogging has given me an outlet to just be myself, and it turns out I kind of like me…”
But all silliness aside, I started blogging during a really tough period of my life, and I think I just needed to be able to reach out and share who I was, not only to other people, but to myself. As a long time sufferer of severe social anxiety, I have an incredibly difficult time being myself around other people. And I desperately needed a way to show myself and other people that inside I am someone more than what my anxiety allows me to be on the outside. Blogging has given me an outlet to just be myself, and it turns out I kind of like me, and some other people kind of like me too, which is a surprising and wonderful feeling. So I suppose what inspires me to blog even more than my own self-trickery is really just the ability for me to be me in a way I was never able to before.
Angelica, table twenty eight
My blog, table twenty eight, began over three years ago as a solution for collating and documenting two of my greatest passions – photography and food. I’ve been an avid photographer from a young age, and that became intertwined with my love of cooking (and eating), impulsively picking up my camera to capture a dish I’d made or taking it along with me to a restaurant in the hope of being served a visually impressive dish.
My blog started as a little personal project, a place to function as a photographic journal and “brain dump/collage” for anything related to food; however, it’s now grown into something much more valuable. It’s not only provided me with a creative outlet, but has also allowed me to vastly improve my photography skills and experience throughout these years.
By setting myself the goal of photographing and writing a post once a week, it’s inspired me (ok, sometimes forced me!) to pick up my camera and style a food shoot. It’s paved an invaluable path to developing my own personal photography style and providing motivation for hours and hours of practice. I daresay I wouldn’t be taking the photos I am today if it hadn’t been thanks to my blog.
Joe, Developing Dad
The first answer would have to be my kids. I’m an older dad and my blog started with several aims — all of which were the result of me being a dad. It’s such a transformative experience, and so much of my private writing had started to become singularly focused on it; I guess it was just natural to start sharing my musings.
I thought of it as an art project for my kids. I wanted there to be a piece of me—a piece of me in my own words that they could visit for any number of reasons; to find out more about who I was before I had them; to meet the me they’ll only remember from pictures and movies. Or even just a way for them to visit me and to hear firsthand how much I loved them — right from the start. I should be around for quite some time and when I do leave what I know is that my voice will live in their heads. This will provide them some words so they can hear me whenever they need to. It won’t be the same as having me around, but it’s something.
“It’s really been remarkably cathartic.”
A big part of the transformation for me has been to become more comfortable in my own skin. My blog is a great way to challenge myself to keep pushing through discomfort so I can have as little difference between my internal and external selves. Had you asked me what was keeping me from starting a blog before, I’d have told you that I was too embarrassed to be “naked” in front of so many people I know and have known. Now I’d say being that honest, raw and vulnerable has been amongst the greatest outcomes from the whole endeavor. I don’t want my boys to be afraid to be wholly themselves or ashamed of something so normal as having feelings. The wonderful and loving feedback from so many people I know and people I have never met before has allowed me to put down so many misconceptions about who I was “supposed” to be. It’s really been remarkably cathartic.
Laila, Tape Parade
I’m inspired to blog by so many things: by music, by films, by other bloggers, by the city I live in (London), and by the people I meet in my day-to-day life. I think for most of us, life can be hard and there’s a lot of figuring out to be done, a lot of conclusions to reach. Whenever I reach a rare moment of realization, I’m inclined to share it with my readers — just to see if anybody else feels the same. I often write about my own inspirations and the places that I’ve been and things I’ve seen. I work as a musician, and I try to take as much inspiration from the world around me as I possibly can. I’m very lucky to live in an amazing part of the world and it’s hard not to feel inspired when surrounded by so much history, so many people, and so many stories.
Phoebe, Girls Like Giants
I teach writing (and television studies!) to college students and consistently hear myself reminding them that writing is about process — a way of thinking, hashing out, and ultimately (on a good day) communicating ideas. For me, writing also rarely stays in a vacuum, nor should it — at least apart from my grammar school journal full of delightfully repetitive lists of daily activities, including accounts of gymnastics practice, homework, school, and snacks. I’ve long loved writing and do a lot of it in my daily work, writing academic articles and a dissertation and now working on a book. Academic writing, while awesome in so many ways, also moves quite slowly. But when I started blogging on Girls Like Giants (GLG), it gave me a platform to practice writing about things I cared about in pop culture and to work out my ideas in a public space and it made my academic writing stronger. I also blog about cooking, which is more for me than anybody else, but still provides an outlet to practice and keep my writing muscles active — especially important for me during a busy term of teaching.
“[My blog] gave me a platform to practice writing about things I cared about in pop culture and to work out my ideas in a public space…”
At first, it was really hard for me to put my ideas out there — I am by nature a pretty private and shy person. But what I found in blogging consistently is that it got easier and easier and became exciting to force myself out there via writing and finding and connecting with a community of people. It helped me test ideas and practice backing up my points of view. Plus, through blogging on GLG (a blog I co-founded with my friend Sarah), I found a partner in crime and somebody who has been instrumental in propelling me to write (and she is a great and generous editor) — a community within a community, so to speak. So, in sum: I blog for a lot of reasons. And, ultimately I do it for myself, but I always hope that other people also enjoy engaging with my writing and that it resonates with readers.
Liz, Cats and Chocolate
I’m inspired to blog by any number of things. It can be something I’m interested in — an idea, a philosophy, a place, an experience, a thing — or something that I intentionally blog about, like writing, books I’ve been reading, or a film I’ve seen. When I started blogging 10 years ago, blogging had a very DIY feel. But thinking back on it, I still hold to that fount of inspiration, the importance of being true to yourself, and writing about things that matter to you. First and foremost, blogging comes from you. Second is writing for the audience and connecting with a community. If you are passionate about and interested in what you are writing, then that comes across and readers will be able to see that.
As the years pass, keeping to that foundation means that your blog will adapt to your changing interests and passions, and will be something you can look back on, as a record of who you were, perhaps still are, and all the things that you have been through. Don’t be afraid to challenge yourself occasionally either. I’ve participated in a couple of monthly blog challenges, and also try to write about emotionally difficult topics when I feel that they will help other people. This is the tension between writing for yourself and writing for readers: The trick is to also think about how you can turn your experiences and what you’ve learned into something that can advise and inspire your readers and community.
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Interested in honing your blogging skills and making writing a habit? Blogging U. is a fantastic way to get expert advice, instructive assignments, and support from a community of bloggers and staff. Find more information about Blogging U. here.
WordPress.com News 
For me the impetus was simple: My position was eliminated and launching the PRDude blog was a way to chronicle my job search, stay relevant and comment on public relations and communications.
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So awesome to know about all these bloggers! Inspiring!
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Beautiful post !
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What an amazing post…
If I would have come across this same question I would have answered as under :-
Being a counselor and motivator my heart pains when I see the problems of people around the globe. And I am not free from problems too, but somehow I have been managing my issues, problems, sicknesses and overcoming them on a daily basis. Both these things fit perfectly to motivate me to write and publish…
As I write & publish, feedback keep coming to motivate me further to write & publish again & again.
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I love this!
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Inspiring article. Thank you.
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This is so true, as a begginer blogger, I find this very relatable, even with my inexperience. Ps, does anybody have any good makeup blogs?
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I got some experience that I just cannot hold in my head any more, so I need to wright it and share. Also it help me to feel I am not along, when I am writing I have all my pleasant memories back…
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For me the main inspiration to blog was educating and mentoring.. I started this blog mainly for the newcomers to my industry which is Shipping and Freight.. It has been 7 years since I started and my blog has grown phenomenally and the responses from the industry has been excellent and it is always good to know that I have been able to assist many people in their day to day work.. Hugely satisfying.. 🙂
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For me blogging is to get out of the “shell of tradition” which was pressed on me during my childhood, to recollect the path I have been through and to share my passion in photography and writing.
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Quite simply, blogging for us is a way of connecting with people who may not have the opportunity of connecting with us
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So true and easy to relate to! Feeling inspired to write some more now.
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Truly wonderful, inspirational folks at WordPress! Gotta love it!
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I got interested in blogging by reading various blogs mostly based in Cardiff, Wales the city I live in. Even though I work as a journalist, and write thousands of words every week, I was at first unsure if I could find a reason to start my own blog and whether I would have sufficient material to post regularly. The more I thought about it the more I kept thinking of things I would have liked to write about, mostly unrelated to my work – if only I had somewhere to publish them.
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The reason I blog is because I like inspiring people to read and become interested in science!
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I blog, because I need a place for my thoughts to go and grow. I am just an average girl, living in an amazing world who hopes to become a counselor. I wanted to share my journey, my hope, my stories and my random thoughts about myself, others and a various combination of subjects. I have always been a writer, mostly of poetry. I am giving this ago, but have a heard time with work and school to write enough to keep an audience.
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nice 🙂
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Great to hear all these ideas and responses as to why people share their writing. For us, not only do we read and become interested in something new, but we make connections to multiple subjects and to engage in appropriate use of technology in the classroom.
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What a great post, so nice to know why someone would blog, so interesting.
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ii just want to find myself and everything I like on a single place 🙂
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This is so inspiring. I was afraid to blog but now I love the fact that I can have a voice and be myself.
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Interesting to read the profiled bloggers and some comments. I dragged myself to learn blogging after knowing my professional work colleagues were already blogging …2 years earlier than I.
I was unemployed at time and wanted to help my partner’s consulting business grow. So blog creation and blogging was initially a business marketing effort/alternative tool for his business.
Then I ended up with a creating a different 3rd blog ie. my personal blog that allows me to share the best of what I’ve seen, learned and admired in 1 place. It’s been a journey. Now I realize blog has become for me the lst place family and friends learn what I’ve experienced..since they live faraway.
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Wonderful post- really some beautiful stuff here, thanks for including me 😀
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Was delighted to see you being included!! 🙂
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thank you!! 😀 😀
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I loved all the reasons people gave for blogging. My blog is a love letter to my kids. And I love to write.
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Does anyone really care why other people say they blog? Of course not. Everyone is just concerned why THEY “blog.” Everyone’s comments for these type of things are just the repercussions of narcissism. “Well I blog because of this,” “I myself,” it is all I, I, I. What a wonderful self centered world we all live in.
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Narcissistic or pessimistic. Your call.
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Sure, all of us, myself included, blog for ourselves first. I use the blog as a “public journal.” Which means I don’t tell “the whole truth and nothing but the truth.” I save that for my private journal which only I read from time to time. However, sometimes my private journal has ideas that seem to me to be wider than just me but might actually help someone else. Then, while grounded in my thoughts, I may edge being more aware of others. If everyone believes only in themselves, then might as well go intro a closet and talk to ourselves.
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Inspiring!
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Such an inspiring post! It’s great to see how blogging can be a platform for many things, ranging from a place to show one’s works, self-reflection, to something that can develop the writer themselves. These are such a beautiful blogs too, I’ll make sure to give them all a read!
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What inspires me to blog is me and my friend s and Ramsey my BFF.
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Love those recommended blogs. I’ve been to each one of them and randomly read bits and pieces of their posts! More reading material for me. Yay!
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Full of awesomeness!
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Amazing post!!! I hope to have the opportunity to connect with as many of the bloggers mentioned, as well as the commenting bloggers from this post! We all make the world go round, so we should connect through this wonderful medium of writing!!
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Very true! Blogging for me is quite similar to what all my fellow bloggers have said. For me, it is a mixture of excitement, fun, freedom and peace… And let’s not forget anxiety, especially when I put up a new post 😀
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Realistic and inspiring post✌
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It’s so good to hear how others have taken to blogging. I started three years ago with private blogs for family and friends. Recently I made the jump, turned off the privacy button and said ‘what the heck’ we’re out there now! Hopefully I can inspire other young minded seniors to embrace travel around Australia with the passion that I have.
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I started blogging simply because it seemed to be ‘the thing you do when you travel’ these days. I’d armed myself with notebooks and pens, but once I started writing and posting online, I never lifted the pen again. That was ten months ago. Now, my fiancé and I are eight weeks from the end of our trip, and our growing desperation to be at home with family is only marred by the singular question: but what will I blog about then?
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I know what you mean! Traveling just makes you want to write! Being back at home – a little shorter on writing ideas. But I keep track of my ideas as they pop up in daily life. It’s amazing to see what you notice when you really make yourself notice. Just wanted to put this out there. 🙂
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Thank you!! I have really enjoyed having the time and the material to write. My main issue is that my posts are often too long!! I’ll have to see what happens when I get back home.
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This post was great! It’s so interesting to see that we all start blogging for different reasons. Blogging is truly an art form all in its own!
What inspires me to blog is to help others achieve what I have and continue to do with weight loss and general wellbeing. It’s a way to pay it forward as well as create a life/business for myself. I want to help others in many different ways and this is my first and primary platform to do so.
~Bonnie~
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Great post, very inspirational! Thank you!
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Beautiful post. I belive every blogger has his/her own reasons to blog and those inspirations are unique to themselves. Eventually all that matters is to put out something useful for the others, and spread your thoughts among the readers. What inspires me for writing is mainly the human behavior, which comes in many forms. 🙂
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New to the blogging scene, I decided to just stop procrastinating and being doubtful, about whether or not to start blogging. Even though my blog is a baby (only few days old). We all have to start somewhere. I blog to:
raise awareness
express myself
inspire and uplift others
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I blog to get ideas out of my head. It helps me to reflect on what I do and who I am.
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For us, blogging is a way to find like-minded souls around the world. Beyond borders lie immense opportunity, and we aim to bring to the table, cultures that are yet to be revealed in their entirety, and at the same time provide our fellow readers with a platform wherein they can connect with us, and we can in turn help them to live their lives in a budget-friendly way.
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To see how you write something that you love, and to compare your work with other bloggers. But the greatest thing is the filling when you see all that beautiful countries where you were watched that day 🙂
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we are born to write to express to connect..keep sharing…
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My love for movies/games is what made me start my own blog, but it turned into much more over time. I just love writing in general and I like sharing my opinion with anyone that’s interested in reading what I have to say :].
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I blog not only because I love writing almost more than breathing, but also because I want to get a message out to the world. I’m writing about science (and also a little about being a globetrotting nerd). I’m off to Africa soon to try to reverse brain-drain and promote scientific research across the continent. Knowledge is one of the most powerful things we have, and I want to share some of mine.
Perhaps being just a little drop in a tidal wave of blogs is not the best way to get the world reading about science, but it’s an ok start.
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What’s the easiest way to permanently remember a certain memory? Write it down.
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Very inspiring to the core.I enjoyed reading how others started on their journey. As a new blogger, it’s nice to know where you started is not always where you will end up..there is always room for growth.
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Blogging is a great way to share creative passions and life stories.
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That’s the great thing about blogs and blogging… It lets people express themselves however they see fit. I think it’s amazing to see, not only your posts, but yourself evolve over time. Blogging makes it really easy to see the transition of the writer!
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Blogging is a way to be creative. I appreciate that many others feel the same way as I do. Writing just makes us feel more connected to who we are as well as reaching out to others that may feel the same way. Keep up the great work everyone!
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The last two “GLG” and “Cats and Chocolate” were really good. It improves your writing skills, you can keep a record for your interests. The last one pointed out the difference between writing for yourself and for readers. That was neat. For persons suffering social anxiety, blogging is one hell of a vent.
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I am learning to blog to better understand how technology might develop creativity and insight.
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I blog because I love it.
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That’s great. Writing during the toughest times of your time shows that you are willing to get through the tough times. I believe people that write have a better peace of mind than others because we are releasing our frustrations… Great read!!
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I’m new at all this but I love writing short stories as well as working on my fantasy novel. It takes a lot of researching though.
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We think our thoughts resonate with Joe from Developing Dad. If you own a personal blog, you can just revisit your old posts and see what kind of person you were at a particular time in past. It helps with self-introspection.
This post was an eye-opener. For once you start blogging, you often forget why did you start it.You tend to forget the purpose of the blog. This post can definitely help those forgetful people to revisit their purpose of blogging.
Thanks for writing. 🙂
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I started blogging just days ago. We have our own reason for blogging. Mine is, I just want to blog. Share my insights and what so ever about something.
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beautiful post really inspirational….
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I’m a brand new blogger,really enjoyed reading about others motivation.I’m blogging to make some sense of the journey I’m on as a special needs parent and because I just love writing.Like Word Press and reading others thoughts,opinions and seeing different writing styles.Exciting!
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Blogging is a good way of expressing your thoughts in the most creative way. Sharing your ideas nd letting other people know what you feel.
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I blog to vent and share my personal thoughts. I write on taboo topics and I’m not afraid to be controversial, blunt, silly and random #justkeepingitreal
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My science teacher literally had us make a blog to fill with work that we had done so when we apply for college they have a webpage to look at full of are work.. Obviously if you were to view my page its not that blog. But, I find it interesting and great how so many people, even students, now, are created blogs to express themselves. I personally don’t really blog, but I do fill my page with the coding work my team does, so, in a way, I guess that’s kind of blogging.
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Blogging is a way for me to practice writing and to get my voice out there.
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Thanks for the post it’s great to know what inspires others and simply to interact with other bloggers. Great inspiration!
I enjoy writing and am a freelance writer, blogging allows me to enjoy my passion even during times I’m not working on other pieces.
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I’m new but i can relate so well. Wonderful post . I’ve started because i love writing. It’s the best way of expressing what you feel.
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I am also new to blogging, blogging can increase ones’s confidence.
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My blog started as a way of keeping family and friends up to date after my three year old daughter’s cancer diagnosis. Later it became a way of processing my grief after she relapsed and died at 6. It makes me happy to know that some of the life lessons I have learned through this have resonated with people. I struggle to get regular traffic to my blog, but have had pieces republished elsewhere that have reached a much bigger audience. Of course I wish my daughter was still with me, but through my blogging I know some of her wisdom and my hard earned truths have touched other people.
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I have only started blogging but wanted to learn and share things with other like minded people. Also helping me deal with a fairly rough time at present as its keeping me focused on other things
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It is interesting to know the purpose of others to write a blog. I shall some of their ideas and I also enjoy creative writing. Above all I have two main purposes that is to share my views on topics related to counselling and creative integration. The second is to learn from others, the bloggers are gifted people. Thanks
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I am new to blogging but the passion for writing and living life to the fullest is my personal drive to express myself withing a blog. I love reading what pther people experiebce or think, its great. There’s too many great blogs to read from, I need more time in the day!
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I was inspired to blog because I needed something other than school to write for and I was recently diagnosed with depression. I needed an avenue to be creative but still remain in my own realm (that made sense in my mind). I blog about the things that I go through on a regular basis in the hopes that I am saying things others can’t and but mostly I’m blogging for myself.
This post was an inspiring read and definitely goes on my “everyone needs to read this list” 🙂
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Thank you. I needed this today.
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I’m new to the blogging scene and would appreciate any tips, advice or simple a comment! Thanks
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i feel there is a great need for all the bloggers here to sync up… like share comment each other’s blog will definitely enhance knowledge and help every blogger to grow..see u…all 😉
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That all inspires me to give a start up for a blog. I believe the start is always difficult as you keep pondering about how to start and when to start. … your opinions above make me anxious to write
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Having hundreds of notebooks, and old diaries stored in my closet..i decided to try my hand at blogging.. i am still very nervous as to what i can and cant write about but i figure why not just blog about whats on my heart and mind that day… also being a housewife who reads a lot. wanting to express myself and see if other people think like i do also played a big role in why i decided to start blogging…
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Great article. I can definitely relate to a lot of what has been written.
For me, blogging is a wonderful outlet. I get to share my experiences, love for food, culture and lifestyle, as well as check out what other like-minded folks are up to.
Keep on blogging!
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I’ve only just started (today!) and already from reading this I feel it’s going to be worthwhile. Knowing that people are like you and some really not like you, helps me to feel a bit more “normal” if that makes sense?
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I think by writing blogs people really improve their writing skills. Its a good way to express your thoughts and do something positive in your free time
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…Writing blogs is the only time to release all these thoughts, good or bad, inspiring or terrifying, and everything where no one can tell me who to be…
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I’m smiling … as a novice blogger…as one of my first posts – I asked this question in the context of my blog about the truth….
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After having been so repressed in childhood, everyone barking “Shut up” at me, it feel great to have a place, like a blog, to express yourself. I think for mental health’s sake, everyone should have a blog, it’s no different from having your own TV show or newspaper.
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I just started blogging yesterday! I enjoyed reading all the blogs and comments….
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