Becoming a blogger

[shiningcuckoo]

I've recently been diagnosed with a terminal illness and have found I have loads to say! Thinking of blogging about this. Is this a bad idea? Any thoughts?

I think if you’ll find it cathartic, then I would definitely go for it. Maybe start with a diary and see how it goes and whether you’re comfortable after you’ve written it all down to be put online.

I had a moderately successful blog a while ago (based around my dog. I didn't write it to become successful, just because I wanted to do it and to be entertaining). I got some regular followers who were very supportive and sent lovely messages when things were hard at times. It's also good to be able to look back at it. The dog has long, and his successor passed away a few months ago. The blog still lives on though, and another (hopefully) future dog might provide future misadventures and inspiration...

I say go for it! You can always stop and take it down if you decide it's not for you.

From my limited experience, I would advise caution about revealing your real identity and location and referring to actual people involved in your care, work or other situations by their real names. Once posts are published they are 'out there' and can be shared or linked-to by anyone. When I started my blog I had a boyfriend who turned out to be not great and I am glad I never put anything in about him beyond his initials. I also had a bit of a wake-up call when a particular theme was running through the blog entries, about a play that I was writing and producing. I discovered that the Australian society for the play's subject was linking to and commenting about the blog. It was all positive and pleasant, but another reminder to be careful about what I posted.

I'm sorry about your diagnosis. That's really unfair. Good luck with your blog; I'm sure many people will appreciate all that you have to say. Please do share a link if you decide to create one.

Very best wishes to you. x

*the dog has long since died.
Sorry! There's another tip: proofreading! 🙄😉x