Tongue-Tied in the Comment Box

I follow quite a few blogs. And it is a well-known fact that bloggers appreciate comments. After all, it is rather pleasant to know that someone is reading one’s words and has taken the time to respond to all the hard work one has put into a post.

I know this. Really, I do. But it doesn’t stop me from getting tongue-tied when faced with the White Box of Response.

I could write a sweet and simple ‘Good post’  – just to let the blogger know that I appreciated the post – but my mental Ness would most definitely (and oh so helpfully) step in: ah, but doesn’t that sound patronising and doesn’t it lead to the question ‘what was good about it then?’ The pictures? The points made? The questions raised? That witty remark?

So a comment commenting on something in the post is needed. But what?

It doesn’t matter how good the post is, how interesting, how intriguing – it doesn’t stop my brain from being ever so helpful and coming up with a witty comment … like this:

And if my brain does give me something to say … some other person has probably already written something similar. Hmm … perhaps I should simply write ‘I concur’ or ‘I second this comment’ or something similar – without, you know, sounding creepy (‘You are so right in saying that, ha! can you believe I was going to say that too? Great minds think alike and all. Such a great post. Isn’t it a great post? I thought it was a great post – what? You too? No way. Here – have a cookie. No! Have ten cookies.’ *shudder*).

So, in general, I keep quiet – the Invisible Reader …  the Silent Stalker.

Occasionally, suddenly – like finding a light switch in a pitch black room – I find something to say and hurriedly type it up (with the usual spelling and grammar checks. And then reading it over once. And then twice. And then three times).

But often I suffer from a terrible condition that strikes just as I view that comment box:

Forgive me, fellow bloggers.