Blogging as confession booth

Blogging seems akin to those confessional booths in reality shows, where the participant steps aside from the everyday activities of the group and unloads her thoughts. Then she walks back into the scene as if nothing has happened—a strange and false dichotomy of private thoughts shared with potential millions.

Writing for a publication, then, would be more like a scripted TV show—a less narcissist effort made with greater scrutiny and quality control and, therefore, potentially, much more of an art form. And then I remember there are scripted shows like “The King of Queens” and almost any silly little trifle on the CW and the analogy doesn’t hold up so well…

I don’t know who I am writing this for. When I write in my journal I am addressing my future self, telling myself things to remember about the time I am describing, suggesting things I might want to think about or write about later, when I have more time. Part memoir, part raw material.

Maybe writing is like praying—we’re really still only talking to ourselves, but sometimes someone (a higher consciousness, a future self) hears us.