I have a blogger life and a non-blogger life.
I’m discreet with names and locations when I write.
My husband knows about the blog.
My lifelong friends know about the blog, my local mom’s group does not.
My mom knows about the blog, only because she is unable to understand how to open a web browser on my 8 year old iMac, which keeps her from actually reading the blog.
Dad’s y’know, dead, so he might know about the blog now. Depends on how that “all knowing all seeing” thing works out for him.
Some of my family might have heard something in passing about a “writing convention” or even “online writing convention” while we were sitting at dinner a couple weeks after BlogHer. They also heard me change the topic, or push my kid out of his chair to create a diversion. (kidding, kidding – about the pushing, not the topic change.)
The rest of the family doesn’t know. I didn’t talk about it at my high school reunion when people asked what I was up to ….
I reviewed a sex toy in this post. I went to Nashvegasville for BlissDom. I was in the process of launching an awesometastic blog with Flinger and VDog that was intended to be even more open and honest.
I was on Facecrack one day and caught this in my news feed
fellow high school classmate #1 to fellow high school classmate #2
“Let’s blog on blogspot until we can get someone to design our wordpress site. I’ll buy the domain. Blogspot is easy to export. Ohhhhhhh! the excitement.”
To which I went. Huh. I looked “closelier” and saw this status update from a few days earlier
“Surfing the internet in Nashville. Having some coffee.”
My breathing hitched just the *tiniest* bit.
I saw she had a website, I clicked over. There was a Twitter update from the week before
“Going to Nashville to learn how to become a social media maven.”
I died a little inside. This really could not be a coincidence.
I had a binary choice – look away and pretend I’d never noticed. Or, y’know send her email.
“Want some help? I’m a closet blogger – but I know lots of stuff
Um. What writing conference were you at in NashVegasVille last weekend?”
Six minutes later, a reply
“I went to Blissdom…”
Like a Debutante without the white dress, or the dad, or the money, I came out to her. Off we went. Squees and self kicked butts for not finding each other AT the conference. I outed myself and I’ve been over the damn moon about it ever since. It’s that kind of fear that was good for me.
Why? It’s not only her. She blogs with TWO other people who ALSO went to high school with us.
In the minute where I had the choice between hiding or busting out, I went for busting out.
So now, to celebrate my coming out party, please go read Wicked Good and comment. They are so hilariously out there, welcome them into this crazy ass online tribe, but oh mah holy hell, we will ALL be better for it.
xoxoxoxo,
Dawn
(edited – if you have a funny story that you just can’t tell on your own blog – we always have room for a good laugh over at Room 704)
