Pointless Question for the Day

[queenoftheskies]

Just because sometimes my brain thinks pointless thoughts. :)

Okay, okay, my brain often thinks pointless thoughts. But, it's a good brain anyway and I think I'll keep it.

Why do you have a Live Journal? Do you keep it to actually use it as a journal and keep records for yourself? Do you keep it to interact with other people? Peer pressure? Why?

How long have you had your LJ? How many posts have you made?

Are you addicted to LJ? Do you miss the days you don't post or read your FL?

Do you find yourself posting to get responses from other people? To discuss certain aspects of life with other people? Because you need to know that there are people who care?

Most of the people I've met on LJ are writers. Do you feel that it enhances your craft/learning experience/anything else about writing by communing/discussing/asking questions with others?

How frequently do you go back and look at your old posts?

This, perhaps, is what brought up the pointless question. I do use my LJ to keep track of things, including my ups and downs with writing, my accomplishments, my progress on pieces I'm working on, thoughts that I might lose in the normal course of life if I hadn't chronicled them somewhere.

I'm sure most of you have noticed that I've had a lot of downs over the past few months. It happens. LIFE happens. I've noticed I've lost a handful of people from my FL and I figure that's probably the reason.

However, looking back over my more productive days, watching patterns in my writing when there are lows in real life, reading back over posts that I've made to determine where I actually started having trouble...that helps me a lot. Helps me work through the problems I'm having. Reminds me, when I say I suck and I'll never be able to write 13,000 words in one day again or that I'll never finish another novel or that all my brain cells have died that I've said this all before. I've had these lows before. And, then I've had the triumph of working through it all and coming back even stronger and more determined to persevere.

Will it happen again? Yes. Will I get over it all again? I sure as hell hope so! I'm trying.

However, I also have to admit that I love getting comments. I love making comments. I love meeting people and getting to know them, and discussing life and writing with them.

So, anybody want to share why you're here?

Geez, I don't think I've really just spilled my brain in a long time. It feels...good. :)

Comments

[lookingland.livejournal.com]

i started on lj thinking it might be a good way to learn how to self-promote.

i not only think i haven't learned anything about self-promotion, but find i waste a lot of time writing about writing and not doing the writing (which is a problem with any journal).

i like the peeps on my flist, so i stay, and it gives me a place to share stray thoughts and randomness now and then (i like reviewing movies and books, for example).

beyond that, i mostly feel it's pointless and often think of deleting the whole kit and kaboodle. then, when peeps respond to something i post, i feel obliged not to just pick up and vanish, so i keep on. i mostly post on a quid-pro-quo basis (yes, i am admitting this ~ if someone is actively engaged with my journal, i tend to reciprocate more).

i rarely look back on old posts and find i don't actually miss lj when i don't have access to it.

as to kvetching, etc. a lot of people use their journals to vent and i suspect i vent in my own way as well. i do admit, there's only so much negativity i can afford to be around (i'm spongelike in a bad way). but when peeps on my flist are having a kvetch jag, i just try to skim and think good thoughts for them. if i have some useful advice (or if it seems the friend might be open to it), i may post a response, but very rarely (because usually it's just venting and there's no point fueling or enabling. i've lost friends of my flist for not being a "huggy there there" sort of person, but i don't really like when people do that to me, so i don't do it to others).

if i have a friending policy it's this: i friend creative, thoughtful people who are actively working out their struggles and who have a handful of common interests. i don't friend constant every-day whiners, people who can't write a post without using all-caps, people who use enough profanity to shame sailors, and people who post obscene material or constant rants about current events and politics.

once i friend someone, i tend not to unfriend them. unless they unfriend me, then i unfriend them as a courtesy (since obviously there's no mutuality in their friending). despite the length of my flist, i find only about 10% of my friends actually post regularly and only about 6% of those comment in my journal.

hahahahaha ~ well that was a ridiculously long answer.

: o p

[spaceoperadiva.livejournal.com]

I'm certain that I annoy some people on my flist because I occasionally rant about current events. But being interested in current events is part of who I am, so either they can skip those posts or unfriend me. ;-) I'm with you on the constant whining though. The constant whiners have to go. We all whine occasionally, but if the whole point of their journaling is "Woe, woe is me", I'm out of there.

[lookingland.livejournal.com]

i think we all need to rant or whine now and then ~ it's just anything pervasive, consuming, and self-obsessed (dramarama) that puts me off. personally i try to limit myself to one kvetch a week if i feel i must kvetch publically at all.

i have enough unhealthy behavior in my own life that i need to wrangle with. i don't need to be daily bombarded with other people's. it's basic self-preservation.

hahahahahaha ~

: D