Wednesday, March 08, 2006

Blog Directions

There is a proliferation of literature out there on the analysis of blogs: how to write one; styles; genres; money opportunities.

What I want to talk about in today's post is genres. The list is endless, but the 2 genres that interest me are : Topical Blogs and Personal Diary Blogs.

The decision whether to stick to BiPolar topics or stick to personal daily experiences often confounds me as I sit facing the screen in the early morning. So, most times, I try to maintain a balancing act between the 2.

But I've been thinking lately that in the case of BiPolar sufferers, the 2 genres are inseperable. If you're a BiPolar sufferer, then shit, your daily life is always "on topic" as far as BiPolar is concerned. I mean what is BiPolar other than the daily ups, downs and sufferings of real live individuals?

Besides, as I said in a previous post, what is the principal reason the vast majority of us rigorously devote several hours a week to sitting typing at the Cmptr (like we don't have enough of this in our working lives)? Simple: Self Therapy.

This being the case - what is gonna give you more therapy: running a magazine type blog aggregating all the latest international news on BiPolar OR sharing your daily trials and tribulations with the world? A no-brainer. Having said this, I think there is value in BiPolar bloggers to occasionaly comment on topical BiPolar issues - because it comes from a personal, experienced, and knowledgable perspective.

Obviously you (me anyway) can't go too astray in your postings , and for this reason I've often contemplated starting additional blogs. One would be "Philosopher's Cocktail" - occassional philosophical ideas that come into my head. I often have these ideas but am reluctant to put them in here as they're probably a bit dry and heady for this blog.

Another I'd start is "Meditating". A lot of serious mediation practitioners keep detailed dairies of their meditation progression. Again: I don't think it would fit in BiPolar Daily.

But for now I will stick to one blog. It's enough of an addiction for the time being.

(yeah, it's been up and bloody down all week)

6 comments:

  1. You're right: if we suffer from bipolar disorder, then a big part of our life and our blogging must be about our disease.

    On the other hand, the disease is not everything. I make a point to include other things such as photographs, pointers to articles, and mere descriptions of the world because I am more than a bipolar. Call my blog eclectic because I am an eclectic. I get into all kinds of things. I believe I should honor, I should love those things as much as my ongoing "recovery" from the disease. These other things provide me context, a feeling for who I am and where I am. These are both abstract and physical.

    My advice is keep writing about the bipolar, but don't forget the larger scope. The disease does not take us out of the world: it demands that we know existence in its fullness and honor it as our Reality. Just as you are doing when you struggle with your finances.

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  2. You are always on target... go with your instinct.

    Mage

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  3. The last two posts at my blog have been about the Toronto Maple Leafs, but it is approaching the trade deadline. My second blog has been inactive for about a month now. My interests tend to ebb and flow, but perhaps after a year or so I'll start to notice some consistency. As for my bi-polar diagnosis, having had it for twenty years now I really don't think about it all that much.

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  4. A few months ago it was:

    Hi, I'm bipolar. My name is Maggs.

    Now it's.

    Hi, I'm Maggs. Oh, I'm bipolar.

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  5. my blog tends to be..

    "i'm going to write about whatever the hell is on my mind at that precise moment..chances are, it will in some way connect with my illness..but a good majority of the time i will just write very randomly because, well, that's what i do best."

    :)
    you've been blogrolled.

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  6. When I started bloging in December it was ment as a stray thought diary and sort of log book for my son to read in the future. I started finding my legs a little after that and fell into "writing for an audience" when ...surprise surprise...I started gettng comments (Dear God someone IS reading this crap I slap up on the net)
    I think I have gotten past that phase and a few others now and am finding my legs again.
    I guess a blog or any other form of self exspression is an abnormaly clear window into the bi-polar mind. I know you could track my life and state of mind reading through the last 8 months of my blog'n life in a way that was only possiable previously in a seriours reveiw of my art work.
    You have an a truely outstand blog here and I hope to have one of even 1/4 the quality of yours in time. Keep up the good work.

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