---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had a blog where I tried to be…"
description: "\"I had a blog where I tried to be transparent while giving away nothing. I tweeted and Facebooked badly. As a writer, your 'voice' is your calling card,..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7f/ellen-potter-22965_away_i-had-a-blog-where-i-tried-to-be-transpa_1577107.jpg"
---

#  I had a blog where I tried to be transparent while giving…

![“I had a blog where I tried to be transparent while giving away nothing. I tweeted and Facebooked badly. As a writer, your 'voice' is your calling card, yet my voice was becoming indistinguishable from billions of other voices.” quote by Ellen Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7f/ellen-potter-22965_away_i-had-a-blog-where-i-tried-to-be-transpa_1577107.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7f/ellen-potter-22965_away_i-had-a-blog-where-i-tried-to-be-transpa_1577107.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7f/ellen-potter-22965_away_i-had-a-blog-where-i-tried-to-be-transpa_1577107.jpg)

> “I had a blog where I tried to be transparent while giving away nothing. I tweeted and Facebooked badly. As a writer, your 'voice' is your calling card, yet my voice was becoming indistinguishable from billions of other voices.”

[Ellen Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-potter/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The writer struggled to maintain a unique voice amid the noise of social media, leading to loss of distinctiveness.

**In simple terms:** Social media drowned her unique voice.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate authenticity despite digital noise.

Themes

writing digital media authenticity voice identity

Mood

contemplative determined

Type

personal reflective

When to use this quote

- personal essay
- media critique
- authorial identity

Key Concepts

blogging social platforms creative expression

Questions to Reflect On

- How can writers preserve uniqueness online?
- What strategies protect creative integrity?

A Different Perspective

Echo chambers can homogenize creative expression, reducing individuality.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Blog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blog/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Nothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nothing/) [Twitter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twitter/) [Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [Every writer has his own voice. Other than that I'm always trying to do change-ups and publishers haven't always been happy about that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/every-writer-has-his-own-voice-other-than-that-i-m-always-trying-to/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [I just have to be able to follow and enjoy the writer's voice and the writer's point of view. Liking what the person has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-morris/i-just-have-to-be-able-to-follow-and-enjoy-the-writer-s-voice-and-the/)

[Wesley Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-morris/)

> [An excess of development can undermine the most ephemeral but distinctive tool a writer possesses: authorial voice. A writer's voice is as individual and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wright/an-excess-of-development-can-undermine-the-most-ephemeral-but/)

[David Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wright/)

> [I don't know what makes a writer's voice. It's dozens of things. There are people who write who don't have it. They're tone-deaf, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-fox/i-don-t-know-what-makes-a-writer-s-voice-it-s-dozens-of-things-there/)

[Paula Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-fox/)

> [I knew very early on I wanted to be a television writer. My teachers told me I was a strong writer and had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-waithe/i-knew-very-early-on-i-wanted-to-be-a-television-writer-my-teachers/)

[Lena Waithe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-waithe/)

> [“The writer's voice, the honesty and candor that is present in that voice, is what must be written upon the page.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-rostand/the-writer-s-voice-the-honesty-and-candor-that-is-present-in-that/)

[Edmond Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-rostand/)

> [A writer's voice is not character alone, it is not style alone; it is far more. A writer's voice line the stroke of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-lee-gauch/a-writer-s-voice-is-not-character-alone-it-is-not-style-alone-it-is/)

Patricia Lee Gauch

> [“A writer’s voice emanates from their interest and compulsions that absorbs them completely. Only by fully committing himself or herself to a pet subject…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/a-writer-s-voice-emanates-from-their-interest-and-compulsions-that/)

[Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/)

> [The film industry sees the writer as fungible: The thinking goes, As long as we have Brad Pitt and all this money, we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-rosenberg/the-film-industry-sees-the-writer-as-fungible-the-thinking-goes-as/)

[Melissa Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-rosenberg/)

> [I feel like the point of being an artist is to have your own voice: to do it the way you would do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-robert-brown/i-feel-like-the-point-of-being-an-artist-is-to-have-your-own-voice-to/)

[Jason Robert Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-robert-brown/)

> [I do not believe that it is necessarily the duty of the writer to give a voice to his community. If a writer is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/i-do-not-believe-that-it-is-necessarily-the-duty-of-the-writer-to/)

[Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/)

> [Aunt Lovey used to tell me that if I wanted to be a writer, I needed a writer's voice. 'Read,' she'd say, 'and if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lori-lansens/aunt-lovey-used-to-tell-me-that-if-i-wanted-to-be-a-writer-i-needed-a/)

[Lori Lansens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lori-lansens/)

> [“When a writer has deep thoughts, I expect him to also have a deep voice. And if he doesn’t, he should remain silent and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/when-a-writer-has-deep-thoughts-i-expect-him-to-also-have-a-deep/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [I saw a report on the news: 'Peter Dinklage tweeted... ' What? You know, I don't need any of that stuff. I got an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-dinklage/i-saw-a-report-on-the-news-peter-dinklage-tweeted-what-you-know-i-don/)

[Peter Dinklage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-dinklage/)

> [My mom cares that I tweeted a picture of my breakfast. She's knows I'm eating and I'm safe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-dorsey/my-mom-cares-that-i-tweeted-a-picture-of-my-breakfast-she-s-knows-i-m/)

[Jack Dorsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-dorsey/)

## More by Ellen Potter

> [I've reread 'The Secret Garden' every year as an adult. I have a battered copy on my bookshelf - it's really quite a mess!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-potter/i-ve-reread-the-secret-garden-every-year-as-an-adult-i-have-a/)

[Ellen Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-potter/)

> [I don't plot my novels - I move along with my characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-potter/i-don-t-plot-my-novels-i-move-along-with-my-characters/)

[Ellen Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-potter/)

> [“Hocus Pocus let's try to focus”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-potter/hocus-pocus-let-s-try-to-focus/)

[Ellen Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-potter/)

> [“Then she probably would have waved back," Max said. "And it might be a he." "Ha! Not likely," Lucia said. "Didn't you notice them?"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-potter/then-she-probably-would-have-waved-back-max-said-and-it-might-be-a-he/)

[Ellen Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-potter/)

> [“Rubbish," Max said. "Anyone can put on clumpy boots and pierce themselves silly. A truly dangerous person would be someone you'd never even look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-potter/rubbish-max-said-anyone-can-put-on-clumpy-boots-and-pierce-themselves/)

[Ellen Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-potter/)

> [I pretty much always knew I wanted to be a writer. I was writing goofy stories when I was 7 or 8. That was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-potter/i-pretty-much-always-knew-i-wanted-to-be-a-writer-i-was-writing-goofy/)

[Ellen Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-potter/)

> [Books are such quiet things - created in silence, read in silence - yet publishing a book has become a very noisy business. I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-potter/books-are-such-quiet-things-created-in-silence-read-in-silence-yet/)

[Ellen Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-potter/)

> [“It was the right and responsible thing to do, so they put it off until later.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-potter/it-was-the-right-and-responsible-thing-to-do-so-they-put-it-off-until/)

[Ellen Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-potter/)

> [Memory, in my opinion, is a complete noodle. It hangs on the silliest things but forgets the stuff that really matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-potter/memory-in-my-opinion-is-a-complete-noodle-it-hangs-on-the-silliest/)

[Ellen Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-potter/)

> [“Then Lucia said, "So what do we do now?" "Nothing," Otto said. "Things will go on as just they always have.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-potter/then-lucia-said-so-what-do-we-do-now-nothing-otto-said-things-will-go/)

[Ellen Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-potter/)

> [I write about two hours a day, and I write in fits and spurts - 45 minutes here, a half-hour there - and when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-potter/i-write-about-two-hours-a-day-and-i-write-in-fits-and-spurts-45/)

[Ellen Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-potter/)

> [All great adventures have moments that are really crap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-potter/all-great-adventures-have-moments-that-are-really-crap/)

[Ellen Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-potter/)

> [“Careful, she bites.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-potter/careful-she-bites/)

[Ellen Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-potter/)

> [Give that man a Pixy Stix," Haddie said. "A what?" Lucia asked. "Hold on." She left then returned a moment later with a handful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-potter/give-that-man-a-pixy-stix-haddie-said-a-what-lucia-asked-hold-on-she/)

[Ellen Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-potter/)

> [I resisted children's writing for a long time. I saw myself as a writer of literary fiction. But I had so much more fun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-potter/i-resisted-children-s-writing-for-a-long-time-i-saw-myself-as-a/)

[Ellen Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-potter/)

[Explore all 26 Ellen Potter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-potter/)

## More Away quotes

> [I once told someone I could act. They totally bought it. I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/)

[Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/)

> [I don't like being away from home. That's one reason why I don't work as much as I used to \[when I started my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-powell/i-don-t-like-being-away-from-home-that-s-one-reason-why-i-don-t-work/)

[Jane Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-powell/)

> [Some shows just go away - and that's fine. They serve their purpose and their entertainment value, but there are shows that touch people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cudlitz/some-shows-just-go-away-and-that-s-fine-they-serve-their-purpose-and/)

[Michael Cudlitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cudlitz/)

> [You just say the word, and I'll make the rest of the world go away. I'll take you someplace safe, where no one else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-vincent/you-just-say-the-word-and-i-ll-make-the-rest-of-the-world-go-away-i/)

[Rachel Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-vincent/)

> [Who wants a stylus. You have to get em and put em away, and you lose em. Yuck. Nobody wants a stylus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/who-wants-a-stylus-you-have-to-get-em-and-put-em-away-and-you-lose-em/)

[Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/)

> [I just think my own ambition would not allow me to sit on the gifts that my creator had given me. And so that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/i-just-think-my-own-ambition-would-not-allow-me-to-sit-on-the-gifts/)

[Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/)

> [Beauty fades away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/beauty-fades-away/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [You can't kind of take away, you either do or you don't. If you kind of take away something you're a failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-guare/you-can-t-kind-of-take-away-you-either-do-or-you-don-t-if-you-kind-of/)

[John Guare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-guare/)

> [We never think that our mothers will die. It was like suddenly an abyss opened at my feet - I was standing on nothing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/we-never-think-that-our-mothers-will-die-it-was-like-suddenly-an/)

[Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/)

> [We all have time away from football to get our head down. At the same time it is a very busy schedule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reece-james/we-all-have-time-away-from-football-to-get-our-head-down-at-the-same/)

[Reece James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reece-james/)

> [If you take away the predators in the prairies and the national parks, you suddenly have an explosion of elk, and then you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/if-you-take-away-the-predators-in-the-prairies-and-the-national-parks/)

[Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/)

> [“Please don't go away. You--you matter. To me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-caine/please-don-t-go-away-you-you-matter-to-me/)

[Rachel Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-caine/)

> [Our world is drowning in a sea of self-centeredness. You can make yourself quite unique right away by leaving this ocean of selfishness and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bytheway/our-world-is-drowning-in-a-sea-of-self-centeredness-you-can-make/)

[John Bytheway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bytheway/)

> [“Why is it," she asked, snuggling closer, "that I so often imagine myself running away and running free?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-balogh/why-is-it-she-asked-snuggling-closer-that-i-so-often-imagine-myself/)

[Mary Balogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-balogh/)

> [I do spend a lot of weekends on the road. I have to pace myself. It can be pretty busy, but I'm not out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-sinise/i-do-spend-a-lot-of-weekends-on-the-road-i-have-to-pace-myself-it-can/)

[Gary Sinise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-sinise/)

Browse all 4,933 Away quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I had a blog where I tried to be transparent while giving away nothing. I tweeted and Facebooked badly. As a writer, your 'voice' is your calling card, yet my voice was becoming indistinguishable from billions of other voices.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ellen Potter"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-potter/i-had-a-blog-where-i-tried-to-be-transparent-while-giving-away/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Away"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-potter/i-had-a-blog-where-i-tried-to-be-transparent-while-giving-away/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7f/ellen-potter-22965_away_i-had-a-blog-where-i-tried-to-be-transpa_1577107.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7f/ellen-potter-22965_away_i-had-a-blog-where-i-tried-to-be-transpa_1577107.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7f/ellen-potter-22965_away_i-had-a-blog-where-i-tried-to-be-transpa_1577107.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I had a blog where I tried to be transparent while giving away nothing. I tweeted and Facebooked badly. As a…” — Ellen Potter",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Ellen Potter",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-potter/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I had a blog where I...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-potter/i-had-a-blog-where-i-tried-to-be-transparent-while-giving-away/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-potter/i-had-a-blog-where-i-tried-to-be-transparent-while-giving-away/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
