Is this a diary?

I've been blogging regularly for over a month now. Sure, for three years I've posted entries intermittently, but this attempt at a daily entry has lasted for over a month.

So, what's the purpose? I've actually written about this question multiple times, but now that I'm writing daily, it's worth asking again.

In some ways, I treat a blog as I used to treat a bedside journal. I want to capture thoughts so that they aren't forgotten. I want to push myself to build cogent arguments and make salient points. (I want to find a venue for using words like "cogent" and "salient" where people won't look at me funny - or if they do, I can't see them.) I want to examine life, rather than just live it.

Secondarily, I know that writers write. Every piece I've ever read on "How to be a Writer" contains the advice that writers must write; daily if possible. Since I am a writer wannabe, I've tried daily writing at various points in my life, but never stuck to it. Blogging seems to be the most comfortable, repeatable outlet for daily writing.

I am about to post another piece that seems somewhat trivial. If someone were to read this blog and only read that new entry, the reader might assume I'm essentially doing a diary. But I'm not. A diary contains private thoughts. I don't blog about private issues. I save those for e-mail to close friends, and for actual conversation.

Certainly some entries serve as reminders of what I've done in my life. Diaries and journals can accomplish that, too. So, in that way, this blog overlaps with a diary. Yet, I think they are distinct. Whether anyone actually reads this blog or not, I do intend for it to be read, and for it to be readable. If I blogged each day about the minutiae of my daily life, it might help me to remember how many times I've eaten at Wendy's in a year, or who bought me what Christmas presents, but it would not be something people would want to read.

I try to make sure each entry has a point, and that the point is discussed in a clear, concise way. I hope I succeed.