Discussion

Book Blogging Is Not Just A Stepping Stone! And Neither Is It A Half-Baked Identity

So this is going to be one tough topic to talk about. But I think it’s time to set one thing clear for people who are misled in this community. And that thing is…

A Blogger =/= An Author Wannabe

This is a thing that causes me great anguish at times. We are going to be talking about our identity as bloggers, and while this might not concern the ones among you who actually are gearing up to become writers (go you!!), this is incredibly relevant to people like me, who are just blogging… To blog. That’s all. We blog cause we like it, and we like reading. Blogging is not something we are aiming to graduate from.

And you know what? I don’t want my identity to be mistakenly called something “half-baked”. I don’t want to be constantly asked “what will I write when I grow up”. I just want to blog! You know..? And be taken at face value, maybe..?

So let’s look at why this misconception arises in the first place:

  1. It is fact that quite a lot of book bloggers are either writers, or are gearing up to be writers. Or might just be dreaming to one day write a book.
  2. Book blogging is definitely more writer-y than just being a bookworm. I mean, there is regular writing involved!

And that’s absolutely fine!!!

BUT…

But let’s get something straight here.

Book blogging. IS NOT. A stepping stone to writing. It’s not “a lesser writing”!

And people need to stop assuming that if I’m book blogging, one day I will write a book. Or that my book blog has no meaning, if in the end it will not turn out a book.

It’s also not alright to say “don’t worry, you just need to try to write a story!” It’s so horribly annoying when people assume that I secretly really want to write a story, to become a part of some elite (???) that is the people who write books, or, worst of all… That I’m not complete my ‘merely’ being a blogger. That I want something more. That book blogging is merely a stepping stone to ‘becoming your true self’. And worse yet – that I need to be encouraged to do that, cause I clearly don’t trust my own ability. (As if I don’t write, you know, weekly. On my blog. Four times a week.)

Wouldn’t it be ridiculous if I went to the library and told each person who had a book in their hand, “hey! I see you like books! When will you write your own?”

Now that sounds totally ridiculous. Doesn’t it?

Yet why is this constantly said to book bloggers? We’re just readers! Who like discussing bookish things and stating their opinions! Some of us may secretly be hoping to publish. Some of us have or are publishing. But that is SO not the majority of us. The majority of us might actually be doing NaNo. But that still doesn’t mean that their only dream is to be published! Or that the rest of us who don’t don’t matter.

Embrace your #bookblogger identity! And let’s stop people assuming that we’re just unfinished writers in the process. We’re not! I am complete being ‘a mere book blogger’, thank you.

This post was inspired by Beth’s post at Reading Every Night about Why Book Bloggers Would make Good Writers, and Why They Wouldn’t. Thanks Beth!

Are you tired of being told you should be someone you’re not too? Share your woes! Share your opinion. Even if you ARE gearing up to be a writer, have you noticed this happening to other bloggers? Talk to me!