While I’m no stranger to blogging, the thought of picking it up again after about a decade of having next to nothing to do with it made me hesitate. Sure, I’ve had numerous blogs on Tumblr, and still do, but I never really thought of what I do on them as blogging. Not in the traditional sense, no. The content that I post on those blogs consist of reblogs and works of fiction.
And being the private creature that I am, I absolutely abhor mixing my online identity with my real life one. God forbid anyone ask me to share such information with them- they would be duly greeted with an icy stare or my standard “Oh I don’t do anything online” white lie.
But as time went on, it came to a point where I gained well over a thousand followers on one blog, thousands altogether if you total up the followers from all of my blogs, for my creative writing alone. I honestly thought that this was a waste; to have something that could serve as a portfolio, but because of my need for privacy, it’s not something I’d share on my resume.
My solution? I decided to create a blog that I’d be willing to share on professional platforms.
There is more to it than that, though, so allow me to further clarify my reasons for creating this blog.
To serve as a portfolio
As mentioned before, my biggest reason for setting this up is to have it serve as a portfolio. Not for creative writing, however. Certainly not as one would have expected, but yeah.
For the longest time, I started to feel as though I was stagnating, stuck to one field of writing, and thought that I should perhaps venture into feature writing. You see, I’ve always enjoyed writing different types of characters, as it is a way of trying something new to me, and feature writing was simply yet another area of writing I could explore.
I’m enjoying the process thus far, thankfully enough. And while I’m fairly confident in my writing skills, I know I still have a lot to learn. Hopefully my growth will reflect in the posts I type up, especially as I gradually explore more and more topics on my blog.
To encourage self-expression
Despite maintaining a neutral stance on all of my blogs back then, I’ve always had my own opinions regarding hotly debated topics on my dash.
I just never wanted to express them, no matter how much I agreed or disagreed on a certain topic. Why bother? That was what I would think, not at all eager in engaging in the petty arguments that tend to happen on the Internet.
In a way, this is good as it meant that I’d spend less time bothering with such ridiculousness. In another, I came to regard it as a disadvantage. It’s one thing to avoid drama, it’s another to live without a voice. So I chose to improve myself and express my thoughts in a way I think is acceptable.
By remaining as neutral as possible whilst reviewing both sides of every story.
To help people
How many times have I looked something up, only to come across little to no information regarding the subject? Far too many. I’m always frustrated by the lack of details available about certain beauty products, and so wanted to help those like myself the best I can. Sure, everyone’s skin is different, but this is the sort of thing people would like to know. It’s helpful and would be great in assisting their decision on whether they ought to purchase the product.
The same can be said for Asian dramas. While I’m by no means an Asian drama junkie, I’ve garnered enough of an interest in them thanks to my language classes. It would be great for there to be more reviews and recommendations for them, and since there aren’t many, I’ve taken the initiative to toss my opinion in on the humble pile.
Perhaps more people will show appreciation for Asian films and tv shows in the future.
To help me grow as a writer
While I’d love to say that I’m well-versed in every form of writing there is, I’m not. I’m comfortable with writing fiction, but what about feature writing? After largely focusing on copywriting for so long, I thought it was best to polish up that old feature writing skill of mine.
And what better way is there than blogging when I have a full-time job on my hands?
Blogging is good practice for helping me organise and write my thoughts in a clear manner. What’s more, it’s excellent for challenging myself to generate new ideas. A valuable skill that every writer should have.
To experiment with different writing styles
The thing that I love so much about writing fiction is that I get to experiment with different character voices. Perhaps one character is a shy, introverted bean whilst the other is loud and brash- both of which require different tones whilst writing their perspectives. It gives a more genuine feel to the character, and allows the reader to connect with them easily.
Although the differences aren’t as obvious with feature writing, they do exist. Does an article demand a more laid-back, casual tone or an energetic one? Or perhaps a tone so conversational, that Malaysians’ signature bahasa rojak crops up from time to time? It’s something I’d like to play with, if only to show my versatility.
To create an online presence
When it comes to the Communications field, having an online presence is one of the many things that will help you stand out from the pack. I don’t deny that there are many others like myself, hoping to catch the attention of a potential client or employer, but every bit helps. Especially in today’s competitive world.
At the end of the day, however, my growth matters more to me than having a wide audience does. After all, having an online portfolio is the main reason I’m doing this.
I’ve come to enjoy it
Ah yes, and this too. From being someone so reluctant to voice her opinion, I’ve gotten more comfortable with the idea thanks to blogging.
So I look forward to watching this blog grow, and hopefully, my skills with it.
