In reply to Wizzy:
Hi Wizzy
Blogs are great, I really enjoy finding and reading climbing blogs - they can give you an insight into another person's perspective and thoughts on this world. In particular I enjoy blogs that have deep and honest emotional content, either off-the-cuff or as the result of introspection. However climbing isn't an intrinsically interesting spectator sport; there's little to be gained from reading someone's tick-list (unless you know them and are gathering banter-fodder), it's probably better to focus more on the journey climbing takes you on more than which routes it gets you up.
There's a tough balance when it comes to sharing achievements - it's the fine line to share the excitement of doing something hard without coming across to some as boasting. I find it really interesting the subtlety in this - when you read stuff written by hard climbers or watch them on film even the simple tactic of saying "really hard for me" (implying how hard they had to try - something relatable) as opposed to "really hard" makes a difference in how a statement comes across.
Dropping names and grades in is an inevitable part of climbing discussion but be careful how it reads and reflect on why you do it. The fact is that names, grades and ticks have a narrow appeal - to those who know the routes personally or are operating at a similar level in that area it may have some interest, but by focussing on them you may alienate the rest of your audience. If you can find something more universal in your experience, such as something you learned, something funny, something interesting, something beautiful, something that makes the reader squirm in their seat - that's probably what you should be writing about.
Good luck, and keep on writing!
