Why do I write a Blog? That is a good question, one I often ask myself. “Why am I doing this?”, I say aloud as I pull at my hair. I struggle to write. So much time and effort goes into every blog I post. It is a love/hate relationship and I sometimes wonder if it is worth it.
I don’t think of myself as a writer. I know very little about proper sentence structure and composition. Noun and verb are just four letter words as far as I’m concerned. Perhaps, you wouldn’t be too surprised to learn it took me five attempts to pass freshman english. Yet here I am, years later, writer of a blog.
I recently had a chance to sit down and talk to a fellow blogger. I have been following Betty’s blog, Chambers on the Road, for more than a year. It’s an informative account of her and her husband’s camping experiences, as-well-as some light-hearted everyday adventures when they are not on the road. She is a very talented crafter and shares a number of her projects. An on going post about a dollhouse restoration is a favorite. I am a big fan of Betty’s blog. She is funny and witty and her blog is a good read. I imagine she is a natural born writer. I encourage you to check it out at Chambersontheroad.com.
Betty reads my blog. She is one of just a handful that comments on my posts. When I started blogging, I never thought anyone other than family and a few close friends would be interested in what I was writing about. I have to say, I was surprised when others started reading. I appreciate Betty’s comments and the encouragement it gives me.
When I told Betty we would be camping near her home, she suggested a meetup. Her and her husband Dan would come to our campsite and we could sit outside for a chat. That sounded like a great idea to me. When they arrived, Betty had a big smile and an enthusiastic wave. She was outgoing and I immediately felt connected. My introverted soul did not feel the uncomfortable awkward feeling I usually get when I meet someone for the first time. It was like I already knew her.
Betty brought a cake and fresh sliced strawberries. Grammi had a peach pie. We were all set for a wonderful evening chat. We talked about a lot of different things. Betty told us about their recent camping trip. She also shared some big news. You will have to read her blog to find out what that news was. Here is the link. Mostly we talked about our blogs. We talked about the time and effort we put into writing our blogs. We talked about some of the difficulties. When the subject came up as to why we write our blogs, I learned we have similar reasons.
Basically, there are three reasons I write a blog. The first reason is to share Grammi and Grampa’s adventures with our family and friends, to let them know what we’re up to and where we’ve been, to show them we are doing well and having fun. I had a friend ask me to send updates while we were traveling. That lead me to consider a blog as a way of doing that. Even though we post to social media, a blog allows me to go into more detail. The majority of those who read our blog are, in fact, our family and friends.
The second reason I write a blog is to document our travels, to make a record for posterity. Sound corny? Maybe, but someday the grandchildren might like to read what Grammi and Grampa did while we were traveling around the country. In previous years when we traveled, I would keep a hand written journal detailing our daily activities. Those journals sit on the bookshelf in the office at home. I will occasionally pick one up and read a few pages. So it was just a natural transition for me to learn how to blog. I still have much to learn but I’m getting by.
I’ve taken our past blogpost and had them printed to a book. In my mind, it’s a tangible and more permanent record. I found a company online called PixxiBook. The quality of the book is very good. They look professional. My only problem is they move the photos around for easier printing. Obviously, they don’t understand the effort that goes into picking the right photo to go into the right place and in the right order. I feel they mess up the relationship between the story and the photo. I may look for a different option moving forward.
The third reason I write a blog is to share what we have learned during our travels. We go to a lot of places. We’ve had our ups and downs and we’ve learned a thing or two. Sharing our experiences may be of benefit to someone else. Little things like how much does it cost us to travel in our camper, did we like the places we stayed, or even a tire buying experience can be valuable information. We hope that sharing our experiences encourage our children, friends, and others to go RVing, to live life and seek adventure, not vicariously, but by doing it, because if we can do it so can anyone else.
That’s pretty much it. It’s not too complicated. I write to share our adventures with family and friends, to document it for posterity and to share what we’ve learned along the way with others. I know our family and friends look forward to reading every post. I am especially pleased there are people, like Betty, who enjoy reading what I write, too. It’s a gratifying feeling.
As the evening with Betty and Dan came to an end and the brisk cool breeze began to take a toll, I had a warm feeling. I enjoyed getting to know them more personally. It was good to chat with another blogger. I was a bit relieved to learn she experiences some of the same hurdles as I do. Knowing she has similar reasons for writing her blog was reassuring.
To answer the earlier question…Is it worth the effort? Yes, at this point I still think it is worth it. I will continue to write this blog for my family and friends, but I will keep in mind that there are others, like Betty, who read too. Although now, I can add Betty to the list of friends who read the blog.
Be sure to check out Betty’s blog at Chambersontheroad.com.
So until next time… Happy days and safe travel.
The Adventures of Grammi and Grampa 
I came over from Betty’s blog. I enjoy her blog and I’m very interested in following other RVers as we get ready for our retirement RV dream.
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We dreamed for years before we finally got our ducks in a row. We love RVing. We love traveling the country. I bet when you are ready, you will love it to. Thanks for checking out my blog.
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I just discovered your blog by following the link on Betty’s blog. I really enjoyed this post and can relate to why you started blogging. I started my blog eight years ago so family and friends could follow along on our adventure from Georgia to Alaska and back towing our fifth wheel. Once we were back home I enjoyed blogging so much I continued to keep it up. I had no idea I would have blogging friends! We are no longer traveling in our RV and these days the blog is mostly a way for me to share photos and keep up with my blogging friends. I’ve never had an opportunity to meet any of them in person. I enjoyed reading about your get together with Betty and Dan.
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Traveling to Alaska would be a trip of a life time for us. It’s on our bucket list and we hope to do it someday. I’m glad you enjoyed reading the post. Thanks you.
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Gramma, thank you! I know taking the RV to Alaska is not possible this year but I really hope you will go as soon as you can. I’m looking forward to following you along on your adventures.
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I think it’s wonderful that you and Betty got to meet. Also, I love the name of your blog – I’m a Grammie too. I may copy your idea to have books made. Thanks for sharing your travels!
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Hello Grammie. You are welcome to copy my idea (it really wasn’t an original idea anyway). Meeting Betty and Dan was a special treat. Thanks for checking out our blog.
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I loved this story of why you write! Saving adventures for posterity is an important reason–it is why my friend blogs about her adventures and family, and like you, she prints copies of the blogs time to time. Also like you, I began by journaling on my travels, and I have a shelf full of those journals. I have only done two books from our travels, but we used the feature for Apple that comes with the Photos program on my Mac, and it allowed us to lay out exactly where we wanted text and photos. I share your appreciation for Betty’s writing, sense of humor, and projects she shares (I love the dollhouse too–I always wanted one!), and how encouraging and supportive she is to all those who comment on her posts and the sometimes fun, sometimes kind, and always genuine comments she makes on mine. I love that she directed her followers over here–that is how I have connected with some interesting writers and their stories–from who reads the blogs I like and that leads me to others I like. Write on!
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I am glad you liked my story. Thanks for taking time to read it. I’ll have to see about the Apple features. My MacBook is old and out dated, but it still works for writing and uploading the blog. Have a good day.
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This is my favorite post of yours. 🙂 It brought tears to my eyes and a lump in my throat. Dan and I very much enjoyed our evening with Kathi and you. I read your blog because it is interesting and well written. No matter what happened in your freshman english class! In a nutshell, I enjoy your blog very much. That’s why I read it! I also learn things RV related as well as places to travel. You and Kathi are such positive examples of making the most of life, exploring this beautiful land, and loving family. I like positive. Perhaps that’s why I felt so comfortable meeting you and Kathi – who you are comes through in your writing. I appreciate all your compliments, and I do so hope our paths will cross again one day. P.S. I also hope you’ll write a post when you create the book from your blog again. I might like to do that someday. Perhaps PixxiBooks will improve how they arrange pictures in the future, perhaps offering an option… Safe travels, my friend.
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I came over here from Betty’s blog and can certainly relate to what you have written here. The internet has been slow wherever we’ve been lately, and I’ve been asking myself the same question. It takes forever to load up pictures. Thanks for the inspiration to keep going!
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I know, getting internet is such a challenge some times. Thank you for reading . Have a great day.
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…and now I too have a moist eye. Thank you very much.
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I too have issues with putting ink on paper, but I find you’re writing to be a good read. Since I do not own an RV, (no place to really keep it), nor do I seem to have the time to travel, your blog is a good way for me to at least enjoy someone else’s adventures. I read every posting, and appreciate being kept in the loop as to where your travels take you. The pictures are great and perhaps someday I will be able to see some of the locations in person. I say see the country as soon as you can, before getting too old, or being faced with declining health, or being obligated to support family members who just happened to live close by.
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Your point is well taken. I agree with you that seeing things through travel sooner than later is best, but it is not always possible. Not sure if you remember, but you are the friend I refer to who asked me to post updates. Thank you. I am glad you enjoy reading.
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