The Virtues of One of My Vices
Laziness is a vice. One of the seven deadlies, in fact.
But have you ever considered its virtues?
This is more and more obvious to DIH as she notes good blogs dropping all around her. First Amy Welborn, then Wuzzadem... they keep hanging up their keyboards, one by one.
And why, one asks? DIH's theory: they thought the had to be actually good.
Now there's a poisonous thought for a writer if ever there was one. Once you believe you have to be actually good, you start thinking you have to work at your blog. You do foolish things like research and linking and videos and labels and "pings" and whatnot. All that takes time and effort. Just the sort of thing that wears one out.
DIH, on the other hand, has never entertained such goals of excellence. She neither links nor pings; heck, she still hasn't fixed the blogroll. And that Sitemeter thing? Fugghedaboutit.
Low standards allow me to blog on uninhibited. This is a good thing, from my point of view.
I'm not so sure about the reader's.
But have you ever considered its virtues?
This is more and more obvious to DIH as she notes good blogs dropping all around her. First Amy Welborn, then Wuzzadem... they keep hanging up their keyboards, one by one.
And why, one asks? DIH's theory: they thought the had to be actually good.
Now there's a poisonous thought for a writer if ever there was one. Once you believe you have to be actually good, you start thinking you have to work at your blog. You do foolish things like research and linking and videos and labels and "pings" and whatnot. All that takes time and effort. Just the sort of thing that wears one out.
DIH, on the other hand, has never entertained such goals of excellence. She neither links nor pings; heck, she still hasn't fixed the blogroll. And that Sitemeter thing? Fugghedaboutit.
Low standards allow me to blog on uninhibited. This is a good thing, from my point of view.
I'm not so sure about the reader's.
You are explaining what G.K. Chesterton said: "Anything worth doing is worth doing badly." I completely agree.
ReplyDeleteI thought Amy Welborn's blog had merely moved.
ReplyDeleteBut what do I know?
-J.
I can't even figure out a blogroll. I just write. When inspired.
ReplyDeleteThere have been bloggers who recieved a certain notariety, and then posted a final post, citing that, when they began, they had a vision. Usually a humble one, such as writing for God, writing as inspired, etc. But through God's blessings, which led to, say, a blogger's award, their traffic increased, and then suddenly they felt like they had to "deliver". And these people came to the realization that the blog had gone off course, and they weren't writing according to their vision any longer, but to meet a certain demand. Because they got addicted to the comments, the "fame", as it were, and that became a viscious circle.
ReplyDeleteSo they quit. Because right along with that "fame" came work.
It's good to be an unknown. (I suspect that more people read you than you realize, though)
Brilliant.
ReplyDeleteLong live the lazy blogger.