Wednesday, July 19, 2006

I emailed a friend about a month ago, and told her about my trip to Iqaluit. I told her how wonderful it was to fly across the Arctic in the small plane. She didn't write back until yesterday. And then her email said that she hadn't answered because I made her feel that her life sucked...

Envy's a funny thing. And friends are too. I've hesitated over time to give my envious friend my weblog address, and I've never been entirely sure why. I mean, I know that people read this, people I've never met, and yet my parents and my best friend don't. I've been writing an online journal of one sort or another since 1999 (it used to be Diaryland but they kept locking me out) and yet I'm selective about my audience. Every now and then I need to complain about my mother, and I can't do that if she's reading my journal. And my friend, although she's my closest friend, needs to be exclusive. She wouldn't like me having a readership... (all six of you)

What am I trying to say?

There are some people whose attention makes me edit what I'm saying. These people, I email or phone them, and the messages are geared towards them. Because they would read things into the content that I'm not putting there.

What if you could write a novel and stipulate on the front cover: Only people who understand me and can read this work objectively, without finding hidden messages to themselves, can purchase this book?

4 comments:

Kristen Harrison said...

I've had the same reaction. I've been blogging for over two years now and I find myself editing the content based on who I think will read it. However, since it's my blog, I'd rather they got offended and stopped reading it, then that I stopped feeling it was my forum to really express myself.

Well put.

I also liked that we use the same template.

Thanks!
-k

Edward said...

hahahahahaaaaaa and HA!

You get no such luxury, lady.

You gotta be nude to swim in the internets pool. Emotionally nudism.

I simply say, "Think what you will. Say what you must." Then drop my towel and turn my head and cringe.

All writing is NU DI TY, or its Time magazine.

kaiela said...

Martin Amis said all writing is infidelity, ed...

Maybe honesty is a matter of opinion, and I just tell different sides of the stories??? I don't know.

However, many thanks for stopping by and understanding!

Michelle de Seattle said...

re: I emailed a friend....

I put all my emotional stuff on livejournal, which lets you screen out certain people....

Last week I dreamed I was an astronaut on mars, except these large grizzly bear type monsters kept eating my coworkers. I woke up very sweaty and stressed out. When I read the article you linked to about Devon Island I said OH! There it is again.

meh.