Blog subjects are as varied as books on the shelves of a library. This post, the third in a series on blogging, is about choosing subjects for writing, and maintaining one's quality and variety in blogs that get regular posts. I looked at what I have previously written on this as well as wisdom from another source.What did I discover in the navel-lint? My goal today is to glean and share at least one important and unique idea from each of those previous posts. The following paragraphs list the subject, the date of the post, its title and quotes from the original post:
Quality political blogging - This post was a critique of (OCP's) our current president's 2007 State of the Union speech. For the post to work for the reader, who may already know the basic news story, I have to add something of value to it. These are my thoughts on 1-24-07 - SOTU "post mortem". To quote,
Opinion writing is what we bloggers do; we do not produce original "news." . . . I have no illusions that I can sway opinion. I do understand that readers might be interested in my particular "take" on current events. I often visit my "favorites" to see what they think about a current happening or issue.Variations on a theme - Using a theme is something that can add interest and fun to a piece of writing. It is fun to do and it can be fun to read. Such a theme came to me on 6-29-06 - Why do birds write? To quote a few of the variations,
. . . Readers will return to my site . . . only if they like the quality of my writing. Form, as well as substance, is important. . . I am drawn to an author's excellent use of the language, lack of errors, logical train of thought or argument, etc. And good posters pay attention to readability.
It is early here because I am what is known as a "lark," rather than an "owl." I am at my best in the morning, and begin an intellectual decline around 4:00 in the afternoon. If I were an "owl" I would still be snoozing.
Writers/birds can be self-absorbed. We think about what we do and how we do it, because we hope someone will read what we write. . . Baby birds begin writing early, too. Larks and owls often begin serious writing as children. . . . The bloggosphere is like birdland to the uninitiated. To some we sound like a flock of grackles who have infested an inhospitable urban landscape. And the two political camps sometimes characterize their opponents as vermin birds, who should be netted, smoke-bombed or peppered with birdshot.
Why do birds sing? In a comment and e-mail to this blogger I spoke about why I blog. Here is what I said:
As for "lefty" blogs, there are several benefits, in my opinion:
We get our "prejudices" reinforced. It feels good to be validated.
In writing, I am able to clarify for myself what my real opinions are. The act of writing, for me, helps to resolve some of my ambivalence, as well as engender new thoughts and ideas. The "fuzzy mess" in my head gets a little untangled. Self-expression is good for the soul.
One of my readers likes the way I put disparate ideas together. He calls me "the queen of synthesizers." Compliments are nice.
When and where to publish? Hat tip to Maud Newton for a link to a great post about the value of writing at a blog. It is by "Oronte" at Inside Higher Ed. The post argues for giving standing to blogs as "published works."
My links:
My “creativity and dreaming” post today at Good Second Mondays is about Grace Paley.
1 comment:
Very interesting!
Post a Comment