Joining the Crusade or Why I Blog

Rach over at Rach Writes... is hosting the Writers' Platform-Building Crusade, a crusade to get writers together to support each other. Its about building your online platform and helping others to do the same. You can get involved by checking out the original post on Rach Writes... and signing up via the comments. I've already had a few fellow crusaders popping by to say hello and comment on my last post. It really means a lot to know that someone has taken the time to read your post, even more for them to share their opinion on it.

This brings me to the alternative title of my post: Why I Blog

Rach's crusade caught my eye mainly because it exemplifies what I love about bloggers and why I continue to blog, even thought I hadn't envisaged how much of my time it would take up. I started Barbie Ruined My Life at first to encourage my writing. I had talked a good game for a while, but without having anything more that a notebook full of ideas and a couple of dodgy poems, I didn't feel comfortable calling myself a writer, at least not in the creative sense. So, spurred on by a friend who had started her own blog I figured that having to write, edit and publish posts on a (semi) regular basis would help me get over the first hurdle for many aspiring writers; getting word on paper. Interestingly enough, it's worked a bit. I've still not finished, and I've not let anyone see it, but I have started writing again. Starting it as a draft blog post has helped a lot, since I can bang out a blog post in half an hour, its not daunting to start with a blank page the way it is with a word doc.

I blog now, not just to get me in the habit of writing, but also because I am starting to feel part of an online community. A community of people who don't posture, who will tell you what they think, support one another and who write because they are passionate about what they are writing about.This all sounds a bit serious, and I don't want to go over the top but it's worth noting that I enjoy reading other people's articles and interacting with people from all over the world.

I started blogging because I thought it would help with my writing, I keep blogging because I love to write about all sorts of things, and I love being part of a world-wide community who loves it too.