Is Writing in a Blog “Real” Writing?

I’ve been surprised by some of the reactions I’ve received to this blog in the few weeks that I’ve been writing in here. Both from the people I never thought would give it the time of day who are very interested in this form and from the people who have no interest at all and seem very puzzled that I am expending any writing energy in this way. One friend made the comment that one of the differences between “real writing” and writing in a blog is that there is not a concern about “craft” in a blog. Hmmm, is that true? I don’t think so. I agree that it’s a different kind of writing—much more immediate, less “worked on.” But I can’t agree that it’s devoid of craft, especially after reading some of the blogs I’ve discovered in the past few weeks. I think there’s also baggage among some writers about the concept of “giving your writing away” by posting it online for anyone to see. Like it’s some kind of “vanity publishing” that takes away its credibility or worth. But I think that’s a case of holding up a new form against an old paradigm. 

I’m still trying to figure out what writing in a blog means to me and why I enjoy doing it. Of course, as I said when I started, my fear is that it’s a giant exercise in unbridled narcissism, but then, using that measuring stick, isn’t ALL writing? My friend Tamar responded that self-expression is not the same thing as narcissism, and I think that’s true. I know that I’m just as interested in other people’s blogs as I am my own but I can see how it’s a foreign, uncomfortable concept to many. I certainly never thought I’d keep an online journal but I don’t really think that blogs are the equivalent of journals. And I know the main benefit of keeping this blog is that it has me writing every day—something I’ve been trying to get back to for years, even though this is obviously not “for money.”

Which isn’t to say that I’ve calmed all my guilt and shame about my own writing. I love my job as a book editor but every time I hold a two-inch thick manuscript in my hand I experience the silent scream, “WHY ISN’T THIS MY NOVEL?” and I hate myself for not finding the time to work on my own stuff.

Not that I even want to write a novel. What I’ve been kicking around for a long time is a thematic collection of some of the personal essays I’ve written over the years. I’ve compiled a Table of Contents for two such books. One would contain all my essays that relate to my experience with pop culture and growing up in Chicago in the 1960s and 70s. The other one would include many of my Jewish-themed essays. Here’s my working Table of Contents for that book:

Praying in Technicolor
Memoir of a Jewish Childhood

Ritual Crime
Old and New Worlds collide as my circumcision is filmed for posterity

There Are Starving Children in Europe
A guide for creating eating disorders in Jewish children

Jews for Jesus
What happens when Jewish students are forced to welcome the Christ child in song

Praying in Technicolor
Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland help me while away the hours at an orthodox synagogue

Frankophile
An obsession with Anne Frank leads to vandalism and self-discovery

The Talmud According to Cecil B. De Mille
How an anti-Semitic film director helped to define my Jewish identity

Kosher Bedlam
Friday night dinners provide insight into the nature of Jewish law and family angst

Chopped Liver Ferris Wheel
My Bar Mitzvah collapses under the weight of overcooked food and my parents’ divorce

Schlepping Over the Rainbow
Was Dorothy Gale Jewish? A new interpretation of The Wizard of Oz

Meshugenah
Contemplating the legacy of mental illness in my family

Comments

[shari]

Can you clarify whether these titles correspond to essays already written? I know I have read one or two of them....
Any publishers reading this blog should give you an immediate contract!

[Danny]

Seven of the ten essays listed here are written. Of course some of them may need to be REwritten! Two of them are linked at left--the title of the one called "There Are Starving Children in Europe" was changed (by Salon) to "Uh-oh Spaghettios."

[tamar jacobson]

Danny, this is definitely one of my favorite entries. This piece has given me a lot to think about in terms of my own writing ability and being an author. I like it that you share your self-reflection so openly. Thank you.

[A Friend]

Dear Danny,

Day by day more shame befalls me as I read with covert enjoyment your latest additions, and recall the thoughtless snipe about "craft" I volleyed at you in ignorance. More than anything, your writing here and everywhere is delightfully readable, and, noting the vast range of topics already explored, you are infinitely more in touch with the world than I am! For that I am also grateful to click on your latest musings.

I am still struggling with the word "blog," which is so inelegant, but maybe I can equate it with a kind of primordial netscape whence wondrous things might evolve.

Love,

A Friend