So I did that thing again ...

That thing where I start writing a blog post, or maybe drag out a half-finished draft. I start writing. I fact check. I realise I don't know as much about a topic as I thought. I research. I read. Hours pass. I have now completely lost confidence in my ability to write knowledgeably about said topic. I go to bed. No blog post.

I promised myself I would stop doing this. I've steeled myself against perfectionism time and time again. I told myself I would be brave and just hit publish! But here I am, still doing that thing.

Maybe I'm just not cut out to write certain types of posts. It's mostly the strong opinion, kind-of-ranty posts that I struggle with. I don't really understand why I feel driven to publish them at all, when I find them so difficult. Do I feel like it's expected, in order to be taken seriously? I'm not even sure I enjoy reading those kinds of posts! Just because I have a strong opinion on something doesn't mean I have to write about it ... or does it? Hmm, something for me to think about a little more.


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Well, that was interesting. I started writing the above words last night in bed, when I was frustrated with myself for getting 'stuck'. It started as an attempt to whip myself into action and hit the publish button on a few blog posts I've been working on where I get all opinionated and ranty about library-related stuff. But I ended up heading down another path. A path where I realised that maybe I should write about what *I* want to write about instead of forcing myself into a square hole. Private thoughts don't need to be made public just because I have a platform. And I realised that what I really want to write about is what I most enjoy reading about. Which isn't a series of rants.

Isn't it funny what happens sometimes when you start to scribble your thoughts down ...

I've continued thinking about it today. And while doing so, I've noticed a few tweets and comments that seem to imply that library blogs must be brave and controversial in order to be successful and/or worthy. Is that where I get the idea that I have to write deep and meaningful blog posts about library-related issues?

Because in thinking about what I really want to write about, I am reminded of my favourite blogs of years gone by. Blogs where library folk shared ideas, not just opinions. Blogs that introduced and described new tools and technologies, and how they could be used to deliver library services. Blogs that talked about teaching methodologies and learning outcomes. Blogs that inspired me, that sparked ideas, that told stories of innovative and successful library programs, that provided information that I could put to practical use.

So I have one more blog post about blogging that I want to share with you. It's going to be about blogs that I have loved, posts that *I* want to write (and read), and some thoughts about how I think it could work with collaborative blogging. I'll try to post it tomorrow :)