Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Audience

You wouldn't know it to read here but I am still sortakinda participating in the October writing challenge called 31 Days To Telling Your Story. For the record, mine is less 31 Days and more something of an abridged version. Still calling it a win though, because even at less than 31 I've already blogged more this month than last.

Has anyone noticed how I spend the whole first paragraph of every single post explaining why I'm not on top of things here?

I printed out the list of prompts at the beginning of the month and have been picking and choosing as the mood strikes. Since I missed the last ten prompts (!?!) I have quite a few to choose from today-

pray-pause-search-who-audience-start-help-common

Today's one word prompt-audience

When you blog you're supposed to have a niche, if you want to be successful at it anyway. I've blogged in this space quite happily for over nine years now, but I've never really had a niche. Unless  you count blabbing on about everything under the sun in which case I'm a success-ha!

My blog is often all over the map in terms of content, but one thing that has remained constant is my target audience. Who are the people in my head when I put words to paper?

My girls.

c. 2009

My girls who were university students when I hit publish on that very first post and who are now adult women with lives of their own.

When I started blogging it surprised me to learn there were people I didn't know reading what I wrote. That something I said resonated and made them think differently or anew about their own story. One of the most frequent comments I've heard from readers through the years has been, 'What you said? Well I feel the same way."

While our stories are uniquely our own there are threads woven throughout that connect us to one another. I love that, and am so grateful for the many ways our lives intersect with each other. I think about those readers when I write, but my litmus test for hitting publish or save and think it over has always been my girls.

All my blog words are filtered through them. Not literally of course, but as I write I'm always hyper aware of the way my words will leap off the page and into their brains, their hearts, their memories. What do I want them to know about me? About my childhood? About how I see the world and my place in it? About the challenges of growing older? The world around me? About my faith, my fears, my failures?

I love being a mother and I don't care if I'm defined as such. It's been my greatest joy and privilege to adore and nurture these amazing women from the very first moments of their lives. Over time I've come to see blogging as a gift. A way to share parts of myself with my daughters as they reach the milestones I've left behind.

I also know that by telling my story here, by putting all the many moving parts of my life into words on a page I've opened a window for them into who I am apart from the word mom.

My audience has learned a lot about me in this space-


I've learned a lot about me too.
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12 comments:

  1. So true. As usual your words could be my words. We don't know each other in real life and may never meet in person, but I feel like if we did, we could talk for hours about our daughters, corporate relocation and early retiremen ( and probably a lot more). Your girls in college - too cute!

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  2. I remember the first day I blogged. Who would be reading me? But after13 years, I have new friends, who pop in. I hope to hear more now my comment section is fixed.
    I've loved getting to know you Joyce. And Daughters 1 & 2. I loved going through the wedding of #1, baby and now the wedding of daughter #2! How exciting.
    Glad we found each other and glad we are friends!

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  3. Well said. I SO enjoy your posts, Joyce. Speaking for myself but true for others, I'm sure, friendships are formed here that are meaningful and fulfilling in a way I never believe could happen back when I started blogging in 2007. Who of us had any idea where this medium would take us? We are all an audience, for sure!

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  4. Love being a mom, also, Joyce!! Thank you for sharing.

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  5. I call us slice of life bloggers!
    Agree with all you have written.
    I especially think of my blog as a love journal to my family. Precious memories<3

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  6. It's quality not quantity that matters and yours are always quality posts that many of us can identify with. Thanks for sharing and keep on blogging!

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  7. It is definitely hard to find your niche. I've been reading this one blog - Swistle - forever and she literally just obsesses about things in her posts. She agonizes, comes to conclusions, and basically rambles about personal and home life things. And to me it's fascinating. You just have to write and hope people hang on.

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  8. I have always enjoyed your blog and I think you've definitely found your niche.

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  9. This is a great post, Joyce. I first started my blog as a way to share my photography but quickly found out, I had things I wanted to say as well. And then when I learned there were so many like-minded ladies out there who related to some of the things I might have to say and I was amazed. Then there were the posts that I hesitated before I hit the publish button...am I really willing to share these things?, I thought to myself. At times it was those very posts that seemed to touch some of them the most. If not another soul ever read one of my posts, I would most like still continue to blog just for me...as a way to just "get the words out". Sometimes it's like writing in a diary but if I can help bring a blessing to just one soul, I have done what my intent was in the first place.

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  10. I love your writing!! In some crazy way, you always inspire me and like Vickie said, I feel lik we have so much in common! Mostly family. I began my blog back during our sailing days...when we’d spend months at a time in different parts of the world, it was a way to keep my kids posted of our whereabouts and shenanigans! Then I began publishing each year into a book for each of them. They now have 13 books of our family’s lives and they love them. Always around feb they start asking where the new diary is!!!
    Our writings not only connect our families but I’ve made some awesome friends thru the blog.
    It’s a WIN-WIN for all of us!!!
    Plz never stop sharing your thoughts!

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  11. And, I assume that you have your blog published each year in book form so your girls will have it for years to come to hold in their hands and read. I never dreamed that anyone outside of my family would ever read my blog and what a joy it has been to know that others enjoy reading it and we've become dear blogging friends as a result. It's always a treat to read your posts!

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  12. I love the people I have meet through blogging. It is wonderful to have solid friendships with people we have never meet in person. I love being a mother too and always love reading about your daughters.

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