I read in the paper today (so it must be true), that ‘women gossip for five hours a day’. (Not if they work from home all on their little ownsome, they don’t!). Apparently, we like to talk to girlfriends about ‘sex, shopping, soaps and relationships and other people’s children and problems’ (the list goes on. Basically, it’s anything!), while we save the boring talk, like what happened at work and who’s annoyed us, to conversations with our partners.
Hmm, interesting stuff. (And having a good old natter is probably the thing I miss most about work, by the way. That and the regular income!). But it did make me wonder if writers’ blogs are a reflection of this difference between the sexes because women do seem to have this need to connect and chat – while the blokes, on the whole, can take it or leave it.
I can only judge by my own little sample, but take the blogs on my ‘blogroll’ (now rechristened to a much more user-friendly ‘Blogs I Follow’). They are all women’s blogs apart from two. The women’s blogs are chatty and ‘pally’; when you read them, you feel like you’re having a conversation with a friend and the days on which new posts appear tend to be sporadic – a bit like a conversation – whenever the writer feels the urge to say something.
Simon Whaley and Alex Gazzola’s blogs, on the other hand, are much more ‘controlled’. Although they’re written in a friendly style, we don’t get much of an insight into their personal lives. The blogs – (both excellent!) – are clearly focussed on WRITING. Simon blogs religiously every Monday (no more, no less) and Alex’s new posts appear ‘as and when’ (as and when, I suspect, he has time).
I get the feeling that these chaps do NOT spend their time reading lots of other blogs – and leaving comments – before they get down to the day’s work! (Correct me if I’m wrong, fellas!). Oooh, I wish I had that self-control!
Blog About Writing 
Gossip? Me? No, absolutely not. As I was saying to a friend earlier, I never gossip. This friend by the way has a new bloke (you know what that means!!!) and you should have seen what she was wearing – really she needs to buy something better, just like that woman from Corrie instead of dressing like her daughter …
I have quite a few men on my list (okay, that didn’t sound like I meant it to) but, thinking about it, most of them are ‘specific’ – although there is there is that one brand new dad…
Ooh, Sarah, I’m intrigued now…! (By the way ‘I have quite a few men on my list..’ would make a great first line for a story!)
Wouldn’t it just though!
This post is from the new Dad I was talking about 🙂
http://stevewhibley.blogspot.com/2011/08/in-which-i-embarrass-myself.html
The husband of a friend of mine often subjects me to a tirade concluding that the problems of the world lie at the feet of women. I’ve always enjoyed the arguments but perhaps I should reconsider his arguments. You’ve left me with a bit of a problem.
I’m new to this writing game and have only recently started releasing my efforts into the wild. A second prize in a competition led me to the thought that maybe I should start a writing blog. A blog listing my numerous successes would be useful in the future although I rather suspect the entries might be more along the lines of ‘not much writing done – another rejection received’. So if I go ahead what style should I adopt? Stick purely to the writing and it only gives half the picture. Go a bit ‘chatty’ and my testosterone levels are called into question.
Oh, what the heck. I’m writing for a female readership anyway and no-one will read the blog for cybersex (I hope). All the blogs I read regularly are written by women. So if you can’t beat them … .
Graham – welcome aboard. It was great to have a comment from a male perspective! (and it made me laugh!), so I’d say go ahead with your blog – deffo – and just stick to your own voice. I read an article somewhere by some blogging-expert-woman (vague? Moi?) who said, “If I don’t get a strong ‘voice’ from a blog within the first few lines, then I give up on it” and I’ve always tried to remember that. Just be yourself, don’t be afraid to throw in the odd bit of cybersex and I’m sure you’ll do very well….!
I would claim that I had that self-control, but, here I am…