Around five years ago, I created this blog on WordPress. While my posting frequency has mimicked the stock market, I have managed to write over 90 posts, most of them in the last 2 years. Why did I start sharing my thoughts? Read on and find out.

Writing each week gives me an added sense of accomplishment. In the early days, my posting was all over the place. Sometimes I’d write five entries in a month, then go silent for the next two. Giving up was easy. When you don’t have a weekly writing routine, keeping focused is hard. Doubts begin to creep in, and the months go by with no one noticing. I was missing in action for a bit, but I woke up in August 2016. Since then, I’ve gone out of my way to be a regular poster. Seeing as others could post daily, making it a weekly thing shouldn’t be too demanding, right? It hasn’t been the easiest of tasks, but when you review your past posts, you are filled with a sense of fulfillment.

Blogging sharpens your skills. I’ve noticed that having a routine makes writing so much easier. When you pen 500 words a week, simple writing tasks become chicken feed. Even other bloggers admit it: your essays and papers don’t have to end with the classroom. As with any craft, ‘practice makes perfect’. Using WordPress helps with your spelling and grammar. Every slippage in punctuation is a learning experience. If lesser writers could try, then why couldn’t I? The more you put into it, the more you’ll grow.

Setting feasible goals. At the start, I bought a domain and hoped for the best. Without much technical background, I had all these tools that looked Martian to me. I learned after signing up that I wasn’t ready for prime time. Writing is one thing, but building a website, using search engine optimisation, and monetising your site, are all alien concepts. Everyone would like to make blogging a business, but few actually succeed. If you don’t have a unique product or service, then you have your work cut out for you.

Building my portfolio. This is related to the initial reason of accomplishment. While writing motivates you, it also rewards you. The weekly pursuit turns into years of achievement. Our body of work defines us writers, like most artists. While others have yearly book releases, poetry volumes, or screenplays, some consider blogging a key part of their production. There are the usual issues, as with all blogging platforms, but if it engenders readers and likes over silence and unfamiliarity, then please. Choose whatever works for you.

Writing is therapy. While some would say that books are bridges to other worlds, they haven’t tried writing yet. When you write original ideas, out of your own sweat and tears, it’s such a good feeling. Once you’re in that zone, you become an escapist. You forget your troubles for the time. You might’ve had a rough day, as has been the case, but you set them aside and deliver. This past year has been chaotic for me. At times there seems to be no end to the drama, but writing that post and seeing it go up on my blog regularly, is like seeing your assets grow. Trust me.

So there: five reasons on why I continue to blog. Whether it’s righting a week or building your legacy, goal setting or honing your mad skills, blogging is for both escapists and realists.