As I was reading the articles and some of the linked blogs, I felt myself becoming increasingly inspired to start my own blog. The tips on the "how to blog" article make the whole idea less intimidating. He (Tony Pierce) says one should "change your style. mimic people. write beautiful lies. kiss and tell. finger and tell. cry scream fight sing fuck and don't be afraid to be funny." I mean, that's pretty inspiring. There is something compelling about describing the funny, seemingly insignificant anecdotes one encounters everyday, writing for an anonymous audience who may or may not care about what you're dreaming or kissing and telling. I imagine that writing for that type of an audience is liberating.
One word that kept on emerging in the articles is "reinvention"; blogs allow one to reinvent oneself. In my mind, this notion contrasts with the idea of relieving stress by ranting about one's day, one's Real Life (?). It seems that people blog for a variety of reasons, from a form of stress relief, to a form of creative (fictional?) writing, to a way to enter an online community of people with similar interests.
My favorite blog, the one "I couldn't stop reading," was "Random Acts of Reality." It's this blog by a London ambulance paramedic. He writes with this brilliantly honest style, so simple but completely compelling, about his different experiences as a paramedic working in London. I also read some of the comments people wrote; they were supportive and conveyed their respect for him and his profession, and also their enjoyment of his blog. His responses to their comments certainly make it seem like he has created his own online community, complete with other healthcare professionals who can empathize, "civilians" living vicariously through his relatively exciting life and people who are thankful for paramedic services.
I wonder if I'd have anything interesting enough to write about if I were to start a blog... Well, as per Tony Pierce's advice, I won't let any of you know if I start a blog, as it could impede my creative and honest rants. :)
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3 comments:
Save your time and write a book instead. I was reading the advice that guy gave about writing a blog and it seems to me that if you need to be told how to hook, entice, trigger, or elicit emotion in your reader than maybe you should find something else to do with your time, because as it stands clogging the bandwidth of the internet with more zainy stories about how ironic life is seems like a waste of time. It's time and energy that could be spent creating real piece of work rather than just snippets of one's life.
Blogs are like online personal diaries, except they're not really personal because they're public, the opposite of personal, but the writer is writing as if they are writing some kind of personal expression only to be read later on by themself, except they don't they meld the two together. An outpouring of introspective, deductive, self revelationational b/s coupled with what is digestible to whomever will read the garbage one writes. Please keep in mind i'm not referring to you, the person that posted your aspirations to start a blog, i'm sure it would probably feel beneficial if started. It just seems to me that creative time could be spent doing something else and perhaps mental health time could be spent doing blogs, maybe that's a benefit of blogging, a way of releasing neurotic energy. Now there's a thought...
To respond to the comment and original post. Starting a blog could be an interesting experience because you can get feedback from others while at the same time anonymously putting your ideas onto the web. Although some, including myself, may feel like pouring yourself out to others through a blog could be a waste of time, I guess I can somewhat understand the appeal that others may find in this practice. I would have no interest in every starting a blog because I, for one, have never been able to express my feelings through words very effectively, and I seriously doubt I would ever really have anything that interesting to say. I say someone wants to start a blog they should, but I highly doubt I will ever be one of the readers. As dave said he'd rather have someone write a book, I think I would rather read a book. Looking through different blogs really overwhelms me and seems a bit more trouble than its worth. But hey, do what you want!
I don't have time to create a blog. But the concept of blogging is very interesting. I don't think that it is a waste of time, or that a book would be a better use of time. This is a different genre of writing that is a reflection of our ever-changing society and it is interesting to see the creative ideas that people come up with. Blogging enables a person to explore and enhance his or her writing. I think Pierce's "How to Blog" is a good guideline if someone is starting a blog. And I think it is ALL ABOUT PUSHING THE ENVELOPE.
Blogging in its own way is an art form and can manifest itself in a multitude of ways. Take a look at the PostSecret blog for example, those postings are ART. I'm all about exploring art in all forms and respect any means that enables people to do so. It gives people a voice. I'm not saying that there aren't crap blogs out there, but I want to focus on the ones that actually empower people with a sense of agency.
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