Is there a Difference Between A Camera and an Eye? Thanks for that thoughtful response Tiassa. Your answer did not disappoint me. I simply use this particular quote for reference - others would have done equally well. I think the reason you have difficulty answering the question is apparent - you are compelled to write, and that is, essentially, it. As a writer that is something you should take heart in. I am poking and prodding by asking 'why?' and I suspect you find it a very difficult task to answer this. I think that makes a great deal of sense and is, to an extent, an answer in itself. If you see what I am saying... Not that you have failed to answer the question - ego, marketing, developing some more stand-alone thoughts for want of a better expression, it all makes sense. But ultimately the 'why' is hanging, as I (a non-writer) suspect it should. You happen to have the best reason a person can have, but that still leaves me wondering about the value of blogging in general. Is there an audience? Does it matter? Is the idea one of expressing and thinking about your life? If that is the ultimate point, why is it made public? I for one crave my privacy, but more importantly I crave my sense of my own existense. Perhaps that is why I don't feel like a writer. Let me put it another way. When I go on holiday I refuse to take a camera with me because I do not want my time in a different place to be about documenting the scenery and 'seeing nice photos'. I want to remember the sunset through my mind's eye, not the lens. Of course, I miss out on the photos in the end which are always nice to look back on, but my memory is truly 'mine'. I question some of my memories now - am I thinking about the actual time I was somewhere, or am I re-remembering my thoughts upon seeing a photo at a later time? Writing is different. Maybe I am missing something. And maybe taking that egotistical plunge is ultimately a selfless act of sharing with people who appreciate it and gain from empathising with another. Learning something new. I would hope so, but I fear a world where everyone is so narcissitically engaged in ego-masturbation on the net they don't take the time to understand other viewpoints. If I'm writing MY blog do I care about yours? But then I'm a cynic. Thanks Tiassa.
