What is blogging anyways?

A blank page, whether a journal entry, a blog, or a research paper, is very intimidating. Especially, when there is the possibility of having a "reader" at some point. Someone who will casually read through your written thoughts and project his or her opinions upon you. Rarely considering the time the writer spent to make the words meaningful and heartfelt. I suppose this idea only came to me after listening (yeah, I skipped the book this time) Tina Fey's biography type book Bossypants. It's a little crude and some might be offended by parts of it, but I do give her credit for being completely honest with herself and her reader. Several parts of the book made me laugh out loud, perhaps mostly because the author herself was narrating. It's like telling a really great story to a friend after you've had the time to reword and reorganize it in your head a couple times. You know exactly when to be dramatic and insert grammatically incorrect quotes from the characters. I suppose my goal has always been to be an honest writer. My seventh grade English teacher gave me two pieces of advice that I've never forgotten:

1. Brevity is the key to great writing.
2. Always write about what you know.

Perhaps this information was most helpful, because I was participating in Power of the Pen, a timed creative writing competition for junior high students. Those two years with Mrs. Gilbert shaped the way I write more so than I probably even realize. She was always very critical but also constructive. Tearing apart my writing with wisdom and grace, until even I wanted to better myself. But I suppose that is the mark of a great teacher.

All that to say, I am going to try my head at blogging again. I rode the Myspace waves for several years, tried my hand at Facebook (WAY too public), and registered with several blogging sites only to never be able to remember my passwords. But here I am: Blogger. I don't think I'll ever be famous for my writing. But maybe...just maybe...someone will be inspired to breath a little deeper, think a little harder, and to live a little happier.