Blogs & Books

I don’t always speak like how I write. I find that I write the word awesome a lot on my blog, but I never say it in real life. It would sound too weird. Other words that feel natural when I blog or tweet? Cool. I never say cool out loud to someone.

In a effort to be honest, I just felt compelled to share, that I don’t exactly sound like how I write. Pretty close, but not quite.

Is it the same for you?

Also I prefer to read blogs that are written in a personal, casual tone – a bit like how you would speak to someone. It’s hard to read a blog that is written like a novel. I prefer that form of artistic writing in a book that I can hold in my hands and read at leisure.

Authors I admire, write so well that I find myself reading a sentence more than once because it thrills me so.

Printed words on paper are not so hard on my eyes. For blog posts, I like short snippets of life. I very much like the diary form.

This is why I think blogs converted into a novels have to be totally rewritten and a lot more detail has to be added. It’s not as easy as printing the blog posts out and binding them together. Some of it may not be relevant.

Just my musings for today.

About bookjunkie

Blogging about life in Singapore & recently cancer too.
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14 Responses to Blogs & Books

  1. Fiona Wang says:

    I used to sound extremely different from how I write, whenever I speak to anyone in real life. Now, there is still some disparity between my speech and my written language but it is much better as compared to the past. Like you, I sound better in black and white . One day, I hope to be fluent and eloquent in terms of writing and in terms of speaking in real life.

    Hmmm, I guess you might be more confident when you blog/write but perhaps you are not as assertive in real life? 😛 Do correct me if I am wrong haha.

    • bookjunkie says:

      Absolutely true Fiona :)…I am a total doormat/ passive/ shy/ introvert in real life 😉 Writing on a blog makes me feel like superwoman 😉

  2. katrijn says:

    This is so true for me! How do you always find words for thoughts I hadn’t even thought of thinking yet? I write differently than I speak, though I can hear myself talk while writing – if I can’t usually the writing’s no good either. I write blog posts like letters – really, that and journalistic type pieces (which are nothing more than a format in themselves) are the only types of writing I’m any good at. And it’s only in the letter format that I find I have a “voice”. A novel to me seems the sort of prose where one can let go of these formats and where originality is truly prized. For this reason, and because I have no originality whatsoever, I’ll stick to journalism 🙂 For the same reasons, the letting go of the ordinary and the striving for something new and original and true, I humbly admire fiction writers.

    • bookjunkie says:

      Oh yeah, now that you mention it Katrijn…I hear myself talk too….even as I am typing out these words now.

      I really need to get back to my novel reading…have a lot of books piled up at the moment. I am just so distracted these days.

  3. Lawrence says:

    Hi there,

    Chance upon yr blog, like the way u write and the things u blog about. Entertaining & interesting read and you write well too : ) Oh, and I totally agree with you that how we are in real person and how we write can be so vastly different! I personally find it easier to express myself in writing. Cheers and I’ll be back for more.

    • bookjunkie says:

      Thank you so much Lawrence. I hope you’ll be back too 🙂

      Yeah I find it so much easier to express myself in writing. I always lose arguments in person 😉 Would make a horrible lawyer.

  4. Jane says:

    I think that sometimes things that people write as sort of a train of thought don’t translate well. An example is a blog where the writer eats out a lot and refers to things as being, “not to their standards” when what they probably mean is not to their expectations or not to their taste. It comes off as totally different and makes the writer seem spoiled when this is probably not the case.

  5. yuling says:

    Same here. I certainly don’t talk like I write. But when I’m alone, my thoughts are in the ‘writing prose’, if you know what I mean. I amplify a lot of things in my head, enact conversations, and all other nonsensical things that would never come out of my mouth. Just sharing. Don’t find me strange! :p

    • bookjunkie says:

      Thanks so much for sharing that Yuling 🙂 Not weird at all, cos that’s what I do too 😉 Especially when I’m lying in bed with insomnia or just sitting and day dreaming. I sometimes want to write it down but am too lazy. And it’s usually all my insecurities and fears all piled up.

  6. Claire says:

    I think most of the time I write how I speak. I try not to edit myself too much when blogging, though sometimes I have to go back through and just check it actually makes sense and isn’t just a big stream of consciousness. I am like you – I like blogs that have a relaxed, personal ‘voice’ – I think it makes them much more appealing and authentic.

    • bookjunkie says:

      Hi Claire 🙂

      Yeah I don’t like blog posts to be edited to sound perfect. Maybe it’s part of my excuse cos you will note that my posts are filled with spelling & grammatical errors. Embarrassing but I’d rather just not be too much of my usual perfectionist self & just post more frequently. And not care so much..like with my pen and paper diary…where it’s all scribbles.

  7. serene says:

    i think all bloggers will agree! i always use “i love …” I hate…”, this is awesome etc

    but i never say that in person. HAH

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