[Insert blog post title here]
The Write Stuff
[Insert link to source here]
http://riverdaughter.wordpress.com/2009/03/11/the-wr ite-stuff/
[Insert blockquoted excerpt from source here]
Writing isn’t a skill you can teach, it’s an art. Blogging is a weird mix of information, entertainment, argument and stream of consciousness writing in pixelated print. I’m not claiming that I’m a great writer, but I’ve seen a lot of bad writers who were technically proficient at spelling and grammar. Right now The Confluence has several commenters who write well enough to be front-pagers. They may not believe it but they have more than enough talent to be bloggers.
Speaking for myself, I spent more time and effort on my very first blog post (at Corrente) than I have with any post since. I really worried and stressed over whether it was “good enough” or not. I can’t tell you how many posts I have done since, but I no longer worry about what people will think, I just write.
Some of the posts I worked hardest on were less well received than some I just “threw together.” I drew unexpected fire from posts I thought wouldn’t be controversial, and was I was disappointed that some posts I thought would cause a reaction got little attention. The only thing I never want to be is boring and predictable.
I don’t try to be just like anyone else. I try to mix generous amounts of serious and snark, with a dash of tongue-in-cheek and a little tinfoiI to seal in the freshness. I try different things from time to time, not always with success. Sometimes what I write is all snark, sometimes it’s an angry rant, sometimes I’m not sure myself what it is. My mood and my muse exercise editorial control.
I sometimes leave unanswered questions in my posts in order to stimulate discussions, while other bloggers (like Glenn Greenwald) prefer posts that are narrowly focused but comprehensive and exhaustive with little room for discussion. I bounce around from topic to topic, but bloggers like Bob Somerby prefer to devote their full attention to one topic. (No, I’m not claiming that I’m in the same league as Glenn and Bob, I was just using them as examples of blogging styles.)
[Insert snarky response to excerpted quote here]
Even when he’s soliciting new writers for The Confluence, myiq2xu cannot resist great green gobs of self-aggrandizement.
Comment by Brad Mays on
03/11/09 at 02:37 PM