Yesterday my Jackeflap friend Sara Lewis Holmes wrote a blog about potato chips and coffee that inspired me.
Yes. Potato Chips and coffee. You read that right. You can read the blog for yourself to see what she had to say, but here's what I took away from it:
Blogging can be used as a writers discipline. All the writing books, conferences, retreats etc. tell us to get our butts in our chairs and just write. Even if it's about potato chips and coffee. It's a great way to get your thoughts out in a public setting. It's one thing to write in a journal that is for "your eyes only." But writing whatever is on your mind, knowing that your thoughts can be accessed by anyone via the power of google! At first that can be intimidating. But as writers, don't we want the world to read what we write? Couldn't a blog be a great tool to help us aquire and become comfortable with the skills needed to write for the public? The more you write in this manner leads me to think it is not only good writing practice, but also good thinking practice as well. I remember the first time I went to my critique group. I was scared out of my witts to have other people read what I wrote. Now I'm much more comfortable with having others read my stuff, and also accepting criticisms of my work. Blogging seems to be a branch that stems from that type of discipline: writing with an audience in mind, yet also comfortable enough to not freak out about what other people will think.
So, I'm going to try to start using this blog as not just a vehicle for only topics I deem "blog-worthy' but also as a writing discipline. What do I see or experience in my day that I can write about? Does everything in my day seem mundane? If yes, then I better snap out of it! I'm a writer for crying out loud! If I can't figure out a way to make the mundane interesting enough to write about it, then I'm going to have some huge obstacles in my writing and story telling abilities. Maybe blogging as a discipline will help work out those kinks.
So, Thanks, Sara, for the potato chips and coffee. Can I have some orange juice and mints with that? :0)
2 comments:
Thanks, C.R. I like your riff on this, and I'm glad my wild-ish thought inspired you. :)
P.S. I do think coffee goes with those fancy French hash browns ---galettes, I think they're called. But I'll have to down a few potato chips with my java just to see what I think of the combo. If I don't like it, well...as you say, there's always o.j. and mints.
в итоге: шикарно! а82ч
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