Dr. Tanya usually appears in this time slot with her weekly Blogging Insights prompt. However she let us know today in this post that she won’t be doing a Blogging Insights post today. But don’t worry, Dr. Tanya says she hopes to be back again next week.
So, in her absence, thought I’d take it upon myself to fill-in for Dr. Tanya, who provides us with a quote about blogging or writing and asks us to express our opinion about said quote. I didn’t ask for her permission, so I sure hope Tanya is okay with this.
The quote I chose is from author Gustave Flaubert, a French novelist who was a leading proponent of literary realism.
“You must write for yourself, above all. That is your only hope of creating something beautiful.”
My blogging buddy, Jim Adams, says that he writes for himself and doesn’t care all that much about what others think of his posts. That may be true for him, but I believe that most of us who blog do so because we love writing and do it because we are driven by our love of words. At the same time, we keep our prospective readers in mind. Our blog posts provide a platform for us to create something at least compelling, if not beautiful, and to share what we write with our blogging community.
Flaubert, who died in 1880, didn’t write in the age of the internet, where writers get instant feedback on their writing via views, likes, and comments. But as bloggers, we do get information from our stats, almost in real time, and those stats help us gauge whether what we write engages our readers.
So from my perspective, I do write for myself, but I also keep my readers at the forefront of my mind, and I hope they find my writing somewhere between passable and beautiful.
This, That, and the Other 
🙂 Fandango, it is nice to know that you found a balance between writing for yourself and your viewing audience.
I have a strong feeling that Dr. Tanya would be in agreement with your statement.
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I think so, too, Renard.
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As someone who’s always been in the creative field, I like that you mention balance, because the things that I truly want to create for myself would probably not appeal to most people. I believe it was William Zinsser who said that you need to balance craft and your personal interests, which is in line with your message here. Thanks for this!
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Your writing is beautiful! ❤ ❤
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Thanks, Carol Anne.
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Each of us is different.
I basically write for myself. But it’s nice to get a few pats on the back every now and again…..The human need for approval….
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I write because I enjoy it, and it pleases me when some of my writings are popular. I do try to bring variety and a balance of sorts with my topics, but appreciate not everything will appeal to everyone. As long as some of it does to some people, that’s good enough for me.
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My contribution: https://sparksfromacombustiblemind.wordpress.com/2022/06/14/unofficial-blogging-insights-fandango-style-6-14-2022/ You’re a great blogger Fandango, and yes your often blunt, outspoken posts and your prompts are beautiful.
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I always distrust any blogger who says he or she doesn’t care if anyone reads what they write. If they don’t care, why have a blog? Keep a diary. My post will be up right after midnight. Thanks for stepping in.
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Good point.
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I agree. I think by definition, if you write something that isn’t in your private diary, you’re assuming someone will read it. You might not care about having many people read it, but you are by definition, not writing only for yourself.
Good quote choice Fandango!
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Thanks, JYP!
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I started my blog with the idea I could write about my depression and anxiety and MAYBE there would be someone out there who understood. Ultimately I do write from my perspective and for myself to get out of my head what dwells there. However, it does feel good when someone comments and I get more likes than I ever thought one of my poems could possibly get.
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Your poems are very heartfelt.
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Thank you so much!
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I am so glad you stepped into the breach this time.
That’s a nice quote you chose.
My take on it :
I write primarily for myself. I do consider others (my readers) in that I am careful not to say anything that would offend or hurt anyone. This might make my writing a trifle bland at times but then that is the fun of writing for myself. I can choose what I say.
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It was my pleasure to fill-in for you this past week, even if I was not invited to do so.
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No worries and no formality.
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