I can't be myself here in this small town

I grew up in a small town in North Florida, and though that small town ain't so small anymore, it's still small enough for my surname to be recognized. Or at least so I fear, in my self-involved, self-aggrandizing manner. Hence my complete and total anonymity on the web. Well, almost complete and total. There are a select few who know the details of my identity, like Love Bites and Duck and a couple others. But I generally guard my name fiercely, for fear that the revelation of who I am will stifle my ability to write expressively, honestly, and with all those delightful, nasty bits. Because the minute folks know who I am, the instant people from my past start bobbing their heads in to take a gander at my deep, dark, dirties, well, I'll either stop writing or stop writing authentically. And that defeats the whole purpose of a blog. At least in my world.

Which is exactly what Love Bites and I discussed over drinks on Friday. Because here's where my world gets really, really small. My reviewee today: Sayre Smiles? I kinda know her brother.

I assume that Sayre found her way here through normal channels. Saw a review of a friend's blog or stumbled on us somehow and got hooked and gathered up the gumption to submit her site for a good, long reaming. So it is perhaps the perversion of the world to drop her site in my lap, out of all the reviewers at Ask.

I debated whether I should let that little tidbit out, whether it was opening myself up to intrusion and revelation that I'm just not ready for, will likely never be ready for. But I felt I owed it to posterity to come clean, since this will likely color my review. Or maybe I'm just a glutton for punishment, 'cause here it comes over the horizon. Watch. Someone's gonna find me and I'm gonna be embarrassed to all hell and have to close up shop.

Ah, shit.

Anyway. My paranoia aside, on to the review.

I typically read an entire blog when I review, but I couldn't with this one. Hello, prolific. Sayre has been blogging consistently since 2006. The template is blah, blah, blah, and for someone who's been blogging as long as Sayre has, I expect better. It's a standard Blogger template, and not one of their good ones, if such a thing exists. There's absolutely no personality, no individuality. Sayre, check out our FAQ for some links to resources for better templates. And don't tell me you don't know how 'cause surely someone can help you snazz the place up a bit.

I don't like the extra info that goes along with the blogroll -- it's overload. Sayre, put your blogroll on another page if you're going to do that; or, really, just put your blogroll on another page regardless. And since you have been blogging for so long, include months and years in your archives, and make them a drop down list. I had to keep clicking "Older Posts," which is a drag. There's no other navigation. Otherwise, good job on the lack of clutter. But we could use an About page, something to let us know up front who you are, who the people in your life are, and what you're blogging for.

Sayre is an entirely competent writer, good even. Everything is in its place, there's no stumbling or hiccups or overwriting or any of that. She has touching posts that are nicely written but long-ish, and mature, kind, and thoughtful posts. But there are too many memes and quizzes and Fun Monday hoo-ha crap.

Some posts make me think Sayre could write about anything, when maybe she shouldn't. Not that she doesn't write about roofing exceedingly well, but, I mean, who cares? These types of posts are good for family and friends to get updated, and a good record of what's going on in your life, but for the rest of the world, the rest of your audience? It's just white noise. Decently written white noise, but noise nonetheless.

There are lots of posts on the kid, which, ok, I don't get into because I'm a heartless non-breeder. And there are lots of pics that don't mean that much to me (although they did clue me into the fact that I know Matt) and lots of we did this and that and such and so. The reason for this is clear -- Sayre isn't writing for us. She's writing for herself and for her family and for posterity. And so the rest of us are on our own. We'll either deal with the log of her life because of the good stuff, or we'll go away. And I sense she doesn't much mind either way.

Her parents read her blog, and maybe that explains the very innocuous nature of it. It's extremely family-friendly, which I'm kind of not. Well, not online anyway. But there are nice things to be found here, and Sayre is a neat lady with interesting hobbies and a side gig that I've always, always wanted to try.

Bottom line, I like Sayre. Could be because I know so much of what she lives day-to-day because I live it, too -- I breathe the same air. But it's also because she is a dedicated writer, talented if a bit muffled. I get the feeling that, in spite of the acres and acres of posts, there's more to know. And I'd like to know these things. I'd like Sayre to get raw, to get creative, to show us more than the daily litany of activities and observances. There's lots of commentary but not a lot of exposition.

Sayre obviously blogs because she loves it, because she can't help it, and, for me, that is the best reason to blog. Because readers can tell when it's a chore, when a writer is struggling to get words up on the screen. But I can't shake the feeling that this dogged determination to write is hampered by who you let in. And I wonder what you might tell us, what you might show us, if we didn't know your details, if the people in your every day life didn't have a window on your world. It's a great irony, but by letting us know your identity perhaps you've stopped us from knowing you.





I open it up to the peanut gallery -- who do you let read your blog, and does it color your writing?