The benefits of blogging

Me, online, doing stuff... picture by Marina Wild

While the health and resilience benefits of writing a journal have long been appreciated, researchers are now looking into the benefits of blogging. As the article Blogging – It’s good for you in Scientific America explains blogging not only has the benefits of expressive writing in a journal (boosting memory, sleep, helping coping with stress, boosting immunity etc.). In addition it allows experiences and thoughts to be shared, read and commented on by other people with a similar interest; all of which could be seen as forming the basis of supportive and engaged communities.

Blogging has certainly helped me make connections with many people around the globe as well as reconnecting with friends and relations. It has also benefited me as a writer; being aware that my blogs are public has obliged me to focus more on the way in which I write. As a result, my later blogs are very different in style from my earlier.  Looking back over my blogs I discovered one other totally unexpected benefit - through blogging I have accidently written a biography of my life. 

Me, rehearsing... Picture by Fionnuala Gallagher

Many of my blogs examine how I balance the stresses of performing, meeting book deadlines, raising a family and coping with other stresses (finances, touring schedules, cooking, and death). A number of the articles are about the process involved in writing two of my books Marcus Marcus & the Hurting Heart and Galway Bay Folk Tales, while the long series of articles Social Justice and Scottish Independence has a lot of information about my life from my teens up until I left Scotland in my early thirties. There is a lot of humour in my work as well as more reflective writing.

Below are links to the blogs that make up this accidental online biography. I’ve also included links to reviews I’ve written over the years as well as my Irish Times piece Fairy tales for adults.  The articles are listed in the order that they first appeared. I hope you enjoy reading them, and I look forward to hearing about the experience of other bloggers (and non-bloggers) out there. Enjoy!

2013

Death Metal Storytelling. 26th April.

Stories and Stories. 30th April.

Dreaming about Marcus Marcus. 5^th May.

Help! My boys have set up a chemical weapons factory. 14^th June.

Book Launch of Galway Bay Folk Tales.  8th July.

LOL! Love Our Lentils :-) 8^th November

Clutha Vaults thoughts and recollections 5^th December

2014

Today I am being an English Lady (with a mysterious past) 10^th March

Adventures with frogs Six articles from 11^th June to 29^th August

Fairy tales for adults (Irish Times article) June 2014

THE ART OF MATHEMATICS (review) 21 July 2014

Social Justice and Scottish Independence.  19 articles from 29th July to September.

Samhain / Halloween – Darkness & New Beginnings 23 October

Deadline dread… 10^th November

Rainy Winter Solstice  Two articles on 21^st December

2015

Dealing with the first big crisis of the New Year January 7^th

Soup, seaweed and senses 17^th January

Books and empathy. 31^st January & 4^th February

The Weight of Words: Handwriting in the Information Age 6^th March

Bird Brain Benefits. 13^th April

Sweet tooth horror! Part one: the dentist’s chair 8^th May

Sweet tooth horror! Part two: smile power. 13^th May

A breakdown in discipline (a poem in support of a marriage equality) 19^th May

Summer in Galway: Thor, human sacrifices, pagans & sunstroke 13^th June

More Bath Tub adventures... 11^th July

In the slaughterhouse. Part one 29^th July

In the slaughterhouse. Part two 29^th July

Judge Dredd, mad tyrants, monsters, death & parenting skills 21^st August

Playtime in an interconnected world 11^th September

Up periscope: live broadcasts from Galway storytelling sessions 11^th September

  

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For more about my work as a storyteller, blogger, author, tutor and performer see rabfultonstories

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