Every now and then you hear the comment bloggers need to be more raw and share their inner most thoughts. It is by being raw that you can only be true to your readers and to yourself. But when I look at the meaning of raw it makes me wonder about my voice. Is it authentic enough?
1 : Not Cooked.
I can leave a check mark next to this because I am definitely not cooked! Maybe just a little tanned…
2 a (1) : being in or nearly in the natural state : not processed or purified (2) : not diluted or blended
Sometimes if you catch me in a foul mood raw sewage does spew from my mouth. But do you really want to read my posts when I am in a scathing mood?
c : not being in polished, finished, or processed form
Well I never went to etiquette school so I am definitely not polished! However, do you want to read one of my drafts that lack paragraphs and misspelled words. I think not!
3 (1) : having the surface abraded or chafed (2) : very irritated
I hate when my sports bra chafes against my skin or I break out into the hives. I suspect you feel the same way! So I would never want to rub you the wrong way.
b : lacking covering : naked
Well do you really want to see me bare it all even if my itsy bits are photoshopped? I highly doubt it!
c : not protected : susceptible to hurt
Do you share everything? Are you willing to open that door? I sometimes open it a little but at the end of the day I do not want to be left vulnerable to the world.
4 a : lacking experience or understanding : green
I lack in a lot of areas of expertise. So will I write about that? Heck No!
b (1) : marked by absence of refinements (2) : vulgar, coarse
Yes! I confess! I am guilty of vulgar language! And I do love to drop the F-Bomb from time to time.
c : not tempered : unbridled
Snort! If I was a wiccan I could have raw power! Summoning my inner goddess for world domination in order to make love not war and end child poverty. But sadly my powers are futile and the best I can do is imagine a world built on peace as I lounge by the camp fire.
5: disagreeably damp or cold
Well! Yes! I hate being cold! And it makes me cranky which leads me to a foul-weathered mood and in the end cursing up a storm.
Does any of these different meanings make my authentic voice raw? No it makes me human. I believe at the end of the day how we share our thoughts makes our voice authentic to the reader. But to worry about breaking down every emotional barrier to be more raw is tiresome. Quite frankly, I’m all rawed out!
How would you describe your voice? Do you believe you are raw enough?
I certainly do believe I’m raw enough – particularly since the last thing I want is to be “raw” in any sense. What passes for “raw” in our society often comes across to me as obnoxious, degrading, uncivilized and boring. I’ll pass, thank you very much.
To be quite frank, most blogs that focus on nothing but “innermost thoughts” tend to bore me. I’m not interested in reading about peoples’ neuroses or their sexual exploits. I’m not fond of rants, either. When someone tells me (as a few have in this hyped-up political season) “This isn’t a free speech zone. If you’re a [liberal, conservative, revolutionary, reactionary] your opinion isn’t welcome”, I’m gone.
There are gazillions of self-proclaimed “experts” out there telling bloggers what to do. When I began blogging, all of the advice was, “Post every day, and never go beyond 500 words”. Fiddlesticks. I’m going to do what I want, and the fact that I have some readers proves that different models can work.
Besides – it doesn’t take much time on the internet to figure out that a good bit of “raw and unfiltered” isn’t authentic at all.
I am guilty of ranting from time to time but my blog is my own space and our own outlet for creativity. I find it funny when another blogger believes another is inauthentic because they don’t share enough of themselves. I think there is a balance somewhere in the middle for me. I hope!
Political blogs I believe we all have different opinions and if you write a post that is politically motivated then you should be open to rational and civil debate. I know this does not happen all of the time but wouldn’t it be great to leave the name calling out of politics? I think the world would be a better place if everyone looked for a compromising solution instead of backstabbing and name calling.
I believe blogging opens many doors and allows us to connect with other fellow bloggers that we would not normally meet. But the door has opened to so many great people because we are all open to discussion and willing to go beyond the ideal of what is a blog. I don’t think any expert can predict the outcome of a blog. I believe different models work for different people and not one model approach works for everyone. You just have to write about what you love and enjoy it!
I don’t need to post my response now because you said it all for me…thanks Shoreacres.
I loved Shore Acres comment
It made my day!
Oh, gosh! I just came back by and I’m so tickled! I’m not all alone, after all!
Great Post – Ha! Just doing what works for me at the moment:) Enjoy Your Week!
Thank you! Keep doing what you do because it rocks
Real. That’s all I try to be. Sometimes, that’s raw, because that’s where I am, but I’m not going to force it for the sake of some stupid expectation.
It is a stupid expectation that does drive me nuts! We all try to create great posts that mean something and at the end of the day we should be happy with our creations. I know for me the word “raw” has become another buzz word that is tiresome and makes me ornery. As you know I always look forward to reading your blog
I’m plenty raw…but it took some courage to get there. You can do it, too!
I love how much you share about your life! And hearing about Tara! It’s nice to know there are good guys out there
Belle,
Le Clown’s voice is… Sweet like cotton candy. On a cool Summer night. At the drive-in.
Le Clown
Everybody loves cotton candy and the drive-in!
This is a fantastic topic and I love that you raised it. My sense is we all have to write what we want to write and hope for the best. Like in therapy (cause you know I’m a therapist, right?) well, I don’t tell people to tell me this story or that story. Part of the story is what we ourselves believe is important. The actual story is how we prioritize the details of our life, not how someone else ranks them.
Telling people to be more “raw” is a little like telling someone who has no inclination towards nudity to enjoy their time at a nude beach. It just doesn’t work.
Showing people what you truly care about is ultimately much more terrifying than sharing ‘raw’ details or rants.
I love your comment! I keep hearing the word be more “raw” but at the end of a day it just becomes a buzzword that people throw around when they discuss writing.
I find the act of blogging and sharing your thoughts at times terrifying because you never know how people will react. I also don’t believe you can rate one person being more raw than the other.
We can categorize and discuss niches of blogs but to declare one more raw than the other at times seems like hogwash.
At the end of the day we all have stories that make us who we are, that make us our own unique individuals, and if we all wrote about the same thing wouldn’t the world be a much more boring place…
I’ll never be raw enough. I’m authentic, but I just don’t roll like that. Yet another way in which I’ll disappoint those self-proclaimed blogging experts that say I must expose it all to be real. Whatever that is.
I wish someone would give me a universal definition because I would like to know
You are real to me and being authentic is more than enough!
Every once in awhile I think I get pretty raw, but usually I prefer not to be.
If I’m raw and someone reads my post and gets sick from it, I’d never forgive myself.
Hahaha! I could never get sick from reading your blog. It is always perfectly cooked
Not sure anyone really wants to know my inner most thoughts, even me. Certainly being authentic. Loved the definitions! Can I narrate this?
I want to know your inner thoughts! I bet most of your thoughts are hilarious!
Of course you can! I look forward to listening to it
Here it is. Just put it up on podbean, http://kriskkaria.podbean.com. Bit of a challenge to narrate (that’s alot of definitions) but fun.
yay! I can’t wait to listen to it! I’ll pop over shortly
This was great. I read each catagory and wondered how I scored , so to speak. I suppose it depends who you are writing for.. Certainly when I started I was writing for me, so raw was fine, but once I noticed other people were watching some shyness crept in. I suppose shyness is a way of hiding our inner madness. Might well be in my case
Ahhh! Maybe! I am quite mad but most people know it
I found in the beginning I was more snarky and have tamed it quite a bit. It’s funny how we hold back when people do begin to read our posts.
I always find your posts very honest and insightful. They always leave me with something to think about
Shucks, I thought we were going on the topic of raw food diet…haha.
Actually, I think I may go well done instead of raw…sounds tastier.
LOL. I’m really not ready for the raw food diet
One well done coming right up! Would you like a side of mash potatoes with that?
Oh, I am with you on not ready for raw foods yet…maybe later.
lol
And side of s-mashies would be divine!
One side of smashies coming up! And ice cream for dessert
Creative post! Love it! I don’t know about you, but I love Photoshopping my itsy bits, ha ha! Kidding. Like you, I’m also guilty of getting irritated and dropping an f-bomb now and again. In my house, “raw” is abbreviated “P.M.S.”
Giggles! I think it most mean the same thing in my house because I become a tyrant
Great post, and by this I mean you made me think- think about my blogging voice as opposed to my other writing voices. Sounding a tad psychotic? Not really.
Good creative writing comes from voice, meaning tone and mood. As long as my blog has (mostly) stayed focused on health, the tone has been pretty reserved, scientific at times interspersed with convesational style and humor. I have, however, decided to let go and lessen the distance between me and readers by revealing more personal aspects on myself when it furthers the goal of my blog.
Don’t get me wrong. I absolutely love to rant, shake my fists at the world, stand on a soap box, and scream at politicians who will never hear me because I cannot pay them enough. But just not on my blog — in it’s current form. That’s what Twitter is for!
I love your comment! It’s true we each have a voice and we should pay attention how that voice projects to our readers. I know I am sometimes guilty going off course but after all I am human
I love twitter! It’s a great place to rant and debate! I just wish the big guys in suits would listen! I think we need more women power to get the job done!
Hmmm. Raw. We live on a sensory diet of fast moving extreme emotion. We have become used to this, our palette demands it: and yet some of the very best writing is none of the raws you describe above. My favourite non-raw text? Diary Of A Nobody, by George and Wheedon Grossmith. A poddling blog from the late 19th century, it talks about the little things. AAnd in doing so, he becomes addictive.
You have the same charm
Thank you
I am going to have to look him up!
I am definitely half baked, so that must mean I’m half raw! Yay me! But I won’t reveal all…never…because then I’d have nothing to draw upon. One always needs the luxury of drawing the curtain of mystery…even if it is ever so sightly.
Hahaha! I feel the same way! We do have to draw that curtain ever so slightly and leave a hint of mystery