Friday 20 March 2015

The benefits of blogging



Me, online, doing stuff... picture by Marina Wild
While the health and resilience benefits of writing a journal have long been appreciated, researchers are now looking into the benefits of blogging. As the article Blogging – It’s good for you in Scientific America explains blogging not only has the benefits of expressive writing in a journal (boosting memory, sleep, helping coping with stress, boosting immunity etc.). In addition it allows experiences and thoughts to be shared, read and commented on by other people with a similar interest; all of which could be seen as forming the basis of supportive and engaged communities.

Blogging has certainly helped me make connections with many people around the globe as well as reconnecting with friends and relations. It has also benefited me as a writer; being aware that my blogs are public has obliged me to focus more on the way in which I write. As a result, my later blogs are very different in style from my earlier.  Looking back over my blogs I discovered one other totally unexpected benefit - through blogging I have accidently written a biography of my life. 

Me, rehearsing... Picture by Fionnuala Gallagher
Many of my blogs examine how I balance the stresses of performing, meeting book deadlines, raising a family and coping with other stresses (finances, touring schedules, cooking, and death). A number of the articles are about the process involved in writing two of my books Marcus Marcus & the Hurting Heart and Galway Bay Folk Tales, while the long series of articles Social Justice and Scottish Independence has a lot of information about my life from my teens up until I left Scotland in my early thirties. There is a lot of humour in my work as well as more reflective writing.

Below are links to the blogs that make up this accidental online biography. I’ve also included links to reviews I’ve written over the years as well as my Irish Times piece Fairy tales for adults.  The articles are listed in the order that they first appeared. I hope you enjoy reading them, and I look forward to hearing about the experience of other bloggers (and non-bloggers) out there. Enjoy!




2013

2014
Adventures with frogs Six articles from 11th June to 29th August
Fairy tales for adults (Irish Times article) June 2014
THE ART OF MATHEMATICS (review) 21 July 2014
Social Justice and Scottish Independence.  19 articles from 29th July to September.
Deadline dread… 10th November
Rainy Winter Solstice  Two articles on 21st December

2015
Books and empathy. 31st January & 4th February
  
* * *

For more about my work as a storyteller, blogger, author, tutor and performer see rabfultonstories
Keep up to date with my weekly CELTIC TALES show on facebook
Follow me on twitter @haveringrab

No comments:

Post a Comment