What drives you to blog?
It is said and spoken in whispers that Robert Ervin Howard or the Robert E Howard wrote Conan stories this way:
It was way past midnight and Howard was the only person still awake in the house. Both his parents were asleep> In the middle of room was the creator of Conan and the friend of HP Lovecraft who called him Two-Gun Bill. Howard was crunch over the typewriter furiously typing the latest story of the Anti-Hero from the Hyborean Age. In his mind Howard felt and saw Conan in the flesh before him and looking sternly at him. Not moving at all. but just staring. No words were spoken and no gestures made only that gaze. The gaze that forced Howard to write the stories of Conan, Tusla Doom, Thot-Anon, Valeria, Belit and Zula. Conan did not leave till daybreak. Of course he came back the following night to compel and to drive Howard to write yet again.
It is one of those thing one hears about. Imaginary or not each writer has a driving force that compels one to write. We have read several posts asking why writers, and bloggers, in particular write. But what drives one to write or even to blog?
What drives you to blog? Is there only one answer to this question? Or are the answers as varied as the stars in the sky or as individual as the species of insects in our world.
What is the driving force?
I guess the answer can only be found in each blogger and it would not be surprising to learn that the answer is indeed as numerous as the stars in the sky or as varied as the insects of this world.
As for me … all I can say is:
1. I do not blog primarily for money: It is the least of all considerations. I have been fortunate enough to have a day job and it pays for most of the things I have.I moonlight as a blogger for a blogger network and it does pay well, but not as well as my day job. Who knows …things may change. Even then I earn little or none at all with my other blogs. And most likely this will be true if I ever fully cross-over to do some problogging, but I am not nor ever will be a problogger. I am a blogger. However, the issue of problogging and problogger is a different but equally interesting discussion on its own. And will probably be discussed soon.
There is more to this than just money. Of course, I am not criticizing those who do it or promote it for money. It is their schtick. It is not mine. I respect their trade and reason but it is not mine. Not at least in the blogs I pay for and host.It is not my driving force.
Sure I placed ads on the site. First, I am just curious to see how it fares. Second, there are additional benefits injoining this ad network. Third, It is run and managed by friends that I trust.
2.There are several reasons I blog and not necessarily for money. So what else is their that drives one to blog? Surely, there are things in the world that motivate people to do things. American Psychologist Abraham Maslow once proposed a theory that tries to answer. Of course it was eventually named after him. If it was proposed by Noel Buce then it would be Buce’s Hierarchy of Needs. Although, I do not necessarily believe in the hierarchy of these needs, it is the needs themselves or that categories that are interesting and seems. Ungrouped and without hierarchy they are:
Physiological Safety Social:Love/Belonging Esteem Cognitive Aesthetic Self Actualization
Physiological and safety needs is related to money. But then if this is satisfied what else is there to drive one to blog? Nearly the rest of needs:
Social:Love/Belonging = friendship, intimacy, family and community
Esteem: The need to be respected; To to have self-esteem and self-respect; and To respect others.
Cognitive: The need to improve one’s intellect or one’s skill. Also the need to learn, explore, discover and create to get a better understanding of the world.
Aesthetic: The human need to refresh oneself and to absorb the thing of beauty that confronts them. This could be by seeing, hearing, tasting and touching.
Self Actualization: The need to make most of one’s abilities and to be the best that one can be. Becoming all that we are capable of becoming.
As I said I might not agree with the hierarchy of Maslow, but the categories seemed valid drivers for one to blog.
What drives you to blog?
And by the way do not fail to miss these events:
I blog because I need to write (my muse could be very, very makulit!) and because I want to learn.
I’ve been blogging for a long time, and it’s always for the need to write and to express myself. It was only in 2006 that I started monetizing my blog. I like getting extra income from my blogs, but like you, I have a regular job that pays for my bills. I just need the extra money to buy dolls
Aileen, At least your muse “cares” for you.
Nina, True, true,