Thursday, August 16, 2007

Themes

My friend, Morgen, and I had lunch Sunday with a third friend, Geoff. We talked about blogging. Morgen said something about not knowing what she would blog about. That she felt she'd have to come up with a theme before she'd even think about it. Then this morning Pat wrote in The Writing Nag about themes for blogs. She had a blog before and didn't enjoy it until she came up with the idea for the Nag.

The idea I had for this blog was very much like D.B.'s. I'd talk about the joys and trials of writing a first novel. But I think it's grown into much more than that in the few weeks of its existence. It's become about community and friendship. It's about the fact that although we each do the physical writing on our own and we spend many hours inside our own heads, we also help and encourage and torment and cajole each other. It's about how there is a subtle, and sometimes not so subtle, collaboration between writers. That we pick up on things the other has written and expand it or take it in a whole different direction.

I guess that's why I always feel a moment of confusion when I hear people talk about how lonely being a writer is. Really? Because even when I'm alone in my office, I can send out an email with a question (or a whine) and have a couple responses within the hour and even more by the next day. The same thing with the blog.

The theme for today is feeling very lucky.

1 comment:

Ali said...

The blog/theme conundrum is an odd one. I tried start a blog a few years ago, but it didn't stick. I tried a writing blog while back too, which also didn't stick. Now I've got two blogs and have no problem keeping either going. It's like part of the problem is theme, but part also seems to be timing.

Hoorah for writing communities! All else aside, it's so nice to know that when I'm at home, struggling with a character or plot point that one of my writer friends will be able to relate when I tell them about it later. It's nice to know people who "get it."