Blogging 101 is telling me I’m supposed to write a post to my dream reader.
Like…what? No. I have to agree with Zoe that this is incredibly stupid.
The exact wording goes like this: “publish a post for your dream reader, and include a new-to-you element in it.”
When I first read the assignment, my immediate thought was, what the hell is a dream reader? Like seriously. Could there be a vaguer prompt in existence? WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? Okay, okay, so I’m guessing the Blogging 101 assignment writers were envisioning a dream reader to be the perfect reader for your blog. Well, I honestly don’t think I could write a blog post to a dream reader because I don’t think one exists…I mean my blog is an extension of myself. I am a complex being, so naturally my blog is complex. So, it’s not possible for there to be a perfect reader for it. There are no perfect readers for my imperfect blog.
My second though about this post arose from the first as I mused, “well, I’m my dream reader.”
Whoa, what? Does that sound incredibly self-centered?
I’m serious though; I’ve talked before about how the first person I write for is myself. I love that other people are reading my work and have been able to connect to it. It means to world to me, really. I can’t thank everyone who has taken an interest in my blog enough for continuing to read, comment, and like. Seriously.
With all that said, I write for myself. I really do. Maybe that doesn’t make me the best blogger in the world, but hey, it’s the truth. I started blogging because writing is like therapy for me. I went through a phase of blogging a few months ago where I was super concerned about views and even went so far as trying to change my writing style to get more views. I very quickly realized how unsatisfying that was, though. I’ve written some posts that I know will get less likes and less views, but I still write them because it feels right for me. You know, if that’s the case, that’s the case.
I guess I hope that the people who do read my blog either share some of my interests or are willing to learn from, or at least consider, a new perspective. I hope they will try to be compassionate and understanding towards my views, especially when I post about particularly sensitive parts of my life. I hope that, if they really like what they read, they will be engage with and encourage me. I mean, that’s what I do with the blogs I love, and I only hope that people who enjoy my blog will do the same.
If I were to say I had a dream reader, then, it would honestly be myself. Because I write for myself…to better understand myself, to push myself, to help with my anxiety, and to just feel better in general. However, I don’t want to have a dream reader because it just seems stupid to me. If I write for myself on this imperfect blog of mine, I don’t need or want a dream reader. Rather, I want readers who are supportive and kind. I want engaged readers who bring life to my blog because writing is a conversation; readers who are interested in new perspectives; readers who are willing to share their own stories with me.
I hope the people who do read my blog receive it well. I’m so grateful for all those who do. Writing is a conversation, a conversation that is first and foremost with myself. It is a conversation with others too, of course, and I’ve loved making connections with other bloggers.
But a dream reader? Yeah, no. Just. No.
**Important Note Thing**
I feel like I have come across as awfully cynical towards Blogging 101. I didn’t do the first assignment because I didn’t want to introduce myself AGAIN, I sort of brushed yesterday’s assignment aside (it related to interacting with other bloggers on WordPress and following new blogs, and I already interact a ton and follow plenty of blogs), and now I’m sort of being a Debby Downer with this assignment. I would like to say that I have really enjoyed the social aspect of Blogging 101–I have been interacting with a lot of people on the Commons–and I am still maintaining an optimistic viewpoint about the course. While I have come across as cynical, I’m still very glad I joined last minute and I still view this as a learning experience. I sincerely hope no one has developed a negative impression of Blogging 101 because of this post because that wasn’t my intention at all! I wanted to do this assignment so as to not become a total slacker, and only did so with the utmost of honesty since that’s how I roll.
It's a Britta Bottle! 
All writers I know write for themselves.That’s how you know this is your calling.
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I would most certainly agree. However, it’s tricky in the blogosphere since not necessarily all bloggers are writers and many bloggers do write for an audience more than for themselves.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting. 🙂
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That’s true. Many bloggers seek to attain fame. But those who write for themselves, well, let’s just say they’re hard to find.
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Absolutely. Even though I write for myself, I definitely still find myself checking my stats a bit too often and seeing how many likes I’ve received or how many more followers I have. I’ve found that it’s definitely difficult to remain completely disengaged from that side of blogging.
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Hey Britta…..don’t worry your head about that just carry on doing what you are doing… mine hasn’t got a dream reader either because I don’t know who it would be and have expressed nearly the same sentiments as you but in a different way.So we can be rebels with a cause together can’t we? Ha Ha
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I guess I’m not worrying too much about it…I just came off as a little over dramatic in this post (I tend to do that sometimes). 🙂
I have a feeling I’m going to end up being a rebel with a cause throughout this whole Blogging 101 experience with how I’ve been doing so far!
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i always take the assignments with a grain of salt. i dont take them literally at all and like you, i didnt do the 1st assignment either because to me, it feels weird introducing yourself again. dont worry about coming off as cynical. its your blog, your rules! keep on writing for yourself, or for your dream readers, whoever they are. 🙂
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I’ve never done one of these blogging courses before, so I’m definitely not used to the types of assignments they provide. I think I’ll definitely take them with a grain of salt from now on. Thanks for the comment and the encouragement! 🙂
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i haven’t done them before either. but because this isn’t a graded “course” then you can do whatever you want, as long as you follow their guidelines of course. 🙂
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I so agree with you! A lot of what you say is spot on and really resonates with me. You go girl! Not cynical at all – brutally honest yes! For this task, I wrote that I didn’t think a dream reader exists and wrote instead about my guilty pleasure, which was much more fun.
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That’s awesome! I think I might check your post out! 🙂
The whole idea of a dream reader just seems so silly to me; I’m glad other people could relate to my frustrations with the prompt.
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I agree it sounds egocentrical to say you are writing to yourself, your dream reader, but I do too. I love your comment, “Because I write for myself, to better understand myself”. I see a development in myself and my writing the more I do it. I generally find that I am only blogging so that I am accountable and I continue to write. Keep writing, you have quite a way with words.
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Thank you so much! Even though I do write for myself, it still means so much to hear that other people enjoy my writing. I find that if I take too much time away from writing, things just start to get confusing and I tend to get more anxious. It really is so important for my well-being!
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