Is Blogging Writing?

~ beetleypete

Some people write very little on their blogs. Perhaps just captions above or under photos, a list of ingredients for a recipe, or a few lines of Haiku.

That’s fine. I say well done to all of them. Blogging should work for you, and be what you want it to be.

Others use their blogs to promote their published books. ‘Real writing’, by real writers.

Occasionally, a blogger will write 2,000-word posts about their predicament. That might be suffering from depression, the break-up of a relationship, or enduring a lifelong medical condition that affects them in many ways.

Good idea. Get it off your chest, connect with others in similar situations. Blogging as a form of communication.

Diary bloggers tell us about their week. What they did, where they went, who they met. That kind of thing. Travel bloggers do something similar, except that it is usually in an exotic or unusual location.

Then there are bloggers like me. Weather reports, dog-walking, nostalgia pieces. And fiction, a lot of fiction. Some of my long serials published as one story fall just short of the accepted length of a novel. But I don’t try to publish them as novels, and have little interest in doing so.

That begs the question. Am I a blogger, or a writer? Is blogging ‘Writing’, or something completely different?

Over to you.

211 thoughts on “Is Blogging Writing?”

  1. In my ears “blogging” has a certain connontation to it. A fashion blogger. A food blog. Pre-portioned text shares to be quickly served, thus equally quickly consumed and — consequently — quickly forgotten.

    I am of course aware that a good deal of this is nothing but clichés. One can find stereotypes of the same calibre for “writing”: deep thoughts, more often than not disconnected from real life’s hassle and struggles.

    Does one writing a blog, or blogging one’s writings? As for me, I consider myself a spare time writer (hopefully not that out of touch) who uses the mechanics of a blog. That’s as balanced as it gets.

    V.

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  2. Good question! I’m just figuring this out! I’m thinking of my blog as little notes in bottles thrown to sea… I’m not necessarily in need of being saved, I just hope one day my little island is better charted on the map.

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    1. In one of my earliest posts, I also described being a new blogger as like putting messages in bottles and hoping someone finds them washed up on a beach. They all did, eventually, but it took years.
      Thanks for your comment, and for following my blog.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  3. A great question. Perhaps we should not think of blogging as fitting into any category. It is writing – and writing has many genres.
    I hadn’t thought about diary bloggers before, but you are right, they are replacing a written diary with a virtual one.
    I wonder what genre I fit into.

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  4. Instead of focusing on LABELS, ask yourself the following questions:

    1) Do you describe ideas?

    2) Do you put ideas into words?

    3) Does your personality reflect the words you choose?

    4) Does your stuff stand out or stand apart from how many other people express their thoughts?

    5) Do you choose your words based as much on intuition and emotions as logic and experience?

    If you answered YES to at least 2 of the questions above, you’re a WRITER.

    I write 20,000+ words per day through dictation

    At first, I thought I wasn’t a writer but some sort of IMPROV SPEAKER

    But after comparing my creative process when writing things manually and speaking out content, I came up with the 5 questions above and am relieved that even though I ‘write’ verbally at the rate of 100+ words per minute, I am still a TRUE BLUE WRITER.

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  6. I do believe that all bloggers are writers, in one way or another, but perhaps not all writers are bloggers. The act of blogging itself requires writing, even if it’s minimal. Beyond that, though, I agree with what you’ve put forth – it’s pretty much subjective. Such an interesting question you’ve highlighted; I’ve never actually given it much thought.

    My blog is very small to begin with, as I just relaunched this new site relatively recently. It’s mostly focused on book reviews to supplement my bookstagram account. But I do plan to write entries on my journey as an aspiring author and some posts on general life perceptions, etc.

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  8. Same question came in my mind. I’m reading comments here.

    I think, with the blogging you can run the internet. You are a part of it. With writing you can win the heart of the people of the world.

    Having a good online potential and support can be very beneficial. On the other hand, writing can be most mischievous and interesting in itself.

    I belive in empowering and life changing writing. ✓

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  10. As a new blogger, I was very interested to see the range of what is blogging. I was surprised at how infrequently the blog has substantial written content. Much of what I saw was similar to posts on Facebook of how I’m feeling today or what I just did (cleaned out a closet). I plan to use my space for glimpses into my past growing up in Tennessee (tennesseegirl.blog). I am far from Tennessee now, living in a wonderful canyon in Washington State, but my roots are still in Tennessee, and many of the things I can recall from the 1950’s are pertinent to the social problems the South is suffering from today.

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  11. I have been blogging for a decade writing short stories and blurbs on society. If you actually write something original, such as a short story or a personal opinion, then you area an author and a writer. I once asked this on another site, and the blogger, who was an educator, went into a 2000 word rant about the difference in the two, which in the end, I found very little difference. Hemingway was a published author, but when he penned a letter to a friend, or scribbled something on a bar napkin, he was a writer. It’s all in how you see it.

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    2. My guess is that the distinction between writer and author has to do with publication success or failure. I do hope someday to be, by this distinction, an author, but my observations as a white woman who grew up in the Jim Crow South is viewed with suspicion as writers of color are tired of being misrepresented and feel it is their time to be heard. I can appreciate their viewpoint while feeling that if they would only read my books, they might not find them so alien as they expect. For a man to write through the eyes of a woman, or vice versa, is not easy, but there are those who have succeeded…

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      1. Thanks for your thoughts. I recently wrote a long fiction serial from the POV of a 30-something pregnant woman who gives birth to a disabled baby. It was much harder for me, as an elderly man who never had children. But the extra effort and research required was challenging and satisfying.
        Best wishes, Pete.

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  12. I think that blogging absolutely is writing. Like with any social media platform, it can be used to build a following with topics you’re passionate about. The posts can be a sentence and/or photo or can be the length of a book chapter. And a blog can even be converted into a book in some cases. Blogging is writing!

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  14. I know blogging is writing but I don’t see myself as a writer. I’m just communicating in a different and hopefully creative way whilst getting stuff of my chest and sharing interests.

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  16. I started blogging about 4 months ago. I post short essays about nostalgia pieces, interesting people I’ve met, books, my family, and so forth. I looked at other blog posts and thought – I need to change my style. I drafted a post I thought would fit but couldn’t bring myself to publish it. I fell back on my favorite quote. This above all: To thine own self be true.
    I liked your post very much because it’s so inclusive. Yes, there’s room for all kinds of writing.

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        1. Thank you for the vote of confidence! Publishing is such a game, and calls for self-promotion, in any case. Gone are the days when publishing companies did the promotion. My problem is that as a white woman I am writing about Jim Crow days in rural Tennessee, and there is a strong sentiment that only people of color should write about those issues.

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  17. Writing is writing. Writing IS writing. WRITING is writing. You’re doing it writing right. Keep at it. There’s not wrong way to be a writer other than to not put words on paper. Ammi….right? 😉

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  18. Yes blogging is writing. If you find yourself revising-a letter to the local rag or leaving a letter for the milkman or commenting on someone else’s blog you’re a writer. And the best thing about owning a blog is that you have a close connection to the editor who will always approve your work. 🤭

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  19. I’m a bit of everything from how I feel today, something in the news that wound me up, a short story (sometimes a long one) or even some jokes. I do have other sites as well as my WordPress one, but if I’m in the right mood I could write all day long.

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  20. haha.. this made many one write.

    And before i could answer, i must invite you to mine, for you to see, read, envision and judge where do i figure in your list 🙂

    I imagine, like every kind of liquid, might be drinkable or not is primarily water, be it is inside our bodies or outside. So goes for writing, but point is the intent. What is that intention, its direction. And if it is compounding in any kind of expression for a consistent period. We must call it our trysts with writing.

    My wishes
    Nara x

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  21. I recently asked a question on Twitter about the difference between a writer and an author. One person said, “Authors are just defined as the writer of some piece of media. So theoretically you are definitely an author if you write.” So, as long as you are writing something, you are a writer.

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  22. As with all forms of creative expression, blogging/writing is what the reader perceives it to be. That perception will vary from person to person, including the creator.

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  24. I love that I came across your post, I am new to blogging, but have been writing (journaling) since I was 11.. I have been wanting to venture out with my writing and see where I could go with it or where it might end up. your post here has helped me understand a little bit more and feel more comfortable about how I was going to blog and what my entries where going to contain. If you or anyone else would like to, please go take a look at my site and if anyone has any good advice, or some pointers yall could give me on how I could make my blog better I would be interested in hearing what yall have to say. thank you, yall have a great day!!

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      1. Thank you so much! I really appreciate it. Im going to get to looking at these links, and will be following you as well. Talk to you soon.
        Taylor

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  26. I will say blogging encompasses so many aspects of life, so no, its so much more; its colorful and vibrant while writing, traditional writing; such a overwhelming art, it would be no justice to call it blogging.:)

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  29. Great article, and even greater question!
    I think Blog is just an online place for people to express themselves, just another social media. People use blogs the same way, posting writings, photos, useful and not that useful information, thoughts…anything. You do the same thing on Instagram, or Facebook, Twitter…. So what does it mean when we say ‘I’m a blogger?’ I guess that’s called ‘Content creator’ now… 🙂

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  34. Pingback: Is Blogging Writing? – Fae Corps Inc

  37. Thank you. This is a popular post! My own thoughts on writing/ blogging is that blogging is a form or genre of writing. I try to blog weekly but sometimes life gets in the way! I find writing prompts such as Linda’s #SoCS help to things fresh and focused.

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  38. Nice post but I think you have ommitted the ‘category’ of bloggers who blog/write about issues around Activism such as the environment and human rights. Two of my favorite blogs- The Green Stars Project and Green Life Blue Water are all about our place in the natural world and include a great deal of research by specialists in their field. And aside from the facts and figures these bloggers are still writing for people who are not academics so that their blogs are interesting and fun to read🙂

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    1. Thanks for highlighting that category or theme of blogging, Amanda. Yes, those bloggers were omitted, along with many very Technical bloggers, specialist cookery and DIY, blogs, farming and agricultural themes, video gaming, sports, and many, many more. This was done in the interest of brevity, and not because they don’t count. 🙂
      Best wishes, Pete.

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