Diaries, Blogs, Novels, Cell Phones, Television, E Mail, etc.

My blog is starting to get longer now. I am thinking about the differences between reading and writing a novel and a blog. I mentioned in an earlier blog that I spent a few years writing a novel which no one liked. It was quite a disappointment. Only five people read it and two agents. Only one person had anything positive to say about it. It is hidden away in a box somewhere in the States. But now people are reading my blog every day. So far I haven't gotten negative responses.

A novel starts at the beginning and tells a story. A blog starts at the end and is just fleeting images of a day. In order to see the continuity you have to read backwards, from the first post to the last and who has time to do that? We usually read the last post and maybe skim down to a few others.

I think in many ways a blog is more like life than a written story. We meet people in the present. Their pasts are hidden from us except by how they have been affected by their experiences. But initially we know nothing of those experiences. We only see the result of them, the person before us.

Rarely do we get to know the depth of a person that we know from a book. We just don't have the time, unless the person is a loved one. Even then, we can never know everything about another person.

Most of the time we have to settle for glimpses into the lives of others. I think a blog is more like the way we know people. Brief interactions. Most visitors to a blog only stay on for a minute or two. We have to skim the surface because we have so much input these days. Blogs, e mail, facebook, cell phones, television....... We all are connected in one way or another but our connections are mostly on the surface.

Sometimes I think we need more depth with people. I need it. That is why I am willing to share with you my inner feelings. I want you to see my humanity, the good parts of me and the not so good. You might not think this is appropriate but this is a Diary......... If you don't like those things in my blog , well pass over them and just look at the photos. I am here alone in Mexico and I want to make connections with people. I want to share my life with you. This is not a travel site. It is a Diary. I always appreciate people writing to me. Makes me know that I am reaching others. I am grateful for every e mail I receive. As much as I am willing to share my life with you, I would like to know about you and your life..... patricia