One of the first things I can say about my previous posts is that they are LONG. Really long. Ugh, I'm honestly surprised that the people in my group have "suffered" through reading all my jargon! Thank you all!
I spoke to fiance (an avid blogger) a week ago about how if I were writing an actual blog for personal purposes or what-have-you, most people would probably skip over my blog posts because no one has the patience to read through anything more than 500 words. I'm pretty sure my posts run a bit over that maximum. It's a problem I suppose I have always had as a writer. I am very into stream-of-consciousness type things. Often times when I sit to write my blog I find myself thinking about A LOT and cannot decide what to write about specifically and I feel like that clearly comes across...that I just couldn't decide on a topic. And I suppose that's something I can work on. I find that when I was given something specific to write about, for example, my first entry about Hurricane Katrina, I was a lot more reserved and precise. After that, I went a little haywire. The only other short, blunt post I have is a letter to Don Dellilo about his book Falling Man.
On average, my posts are around 7 paragraphs long, aside from the 9 paragraphs in the entry about 9/11. The entries get notably longer and the paragraphs get notably thicker as time goes on. I think this is because most of them, I make into a personal thing. I find that as a writer, I feel more secure when adding ideas and thoughts from my own point of view, whereas when I write something critical or something that I have to do research for, I feel a lot less confident about my work. When I write an analysis of a work I always find myself cringing as I edit because I can't help but feel that I write best when it's non-fiction or a personal narrative of some sort. I've always felt that this is my forte.
For example, in my post about the Falling Man...it was not necessary for me to write about where I was on Sept. 11 and what I felt on that day. In my post regarding torture, I didn't have to go off on a rant of what I think torture is and how I feel we live in a violent culture. I could have easily gone directly into the topic at hand, yet I found the need for some personal background information that wasn't required/necessary. No one asked me to write about it--I just did. It's an impulse. I've always felt that reader responses should be personal rather than strictly analytical. In this way, I am okay with the way I write because I feel like it allows me to grow as a person and as a writer. I love responding to texts in a way that not only makes me think, but makes me analyze the way I live my life, how I identifiy, how I interact with other people, etc.
Haha, I had noticed your posts were on the long and talkative side, but it is kind of interesting, because you seem to think a little bit less about what exactly you are writing and put down more what you think as you think it. It makes it les formal and more relatable. Nothing wrong with that. Though I suppose some people might skip it for time saving's sake. :)
ReplyDeleteHey, Jake, you know, it might not be a bad thing that you have too much to say, if there is such a thing. Sometimes I sit down and can't come up with anything at all. I'd rather have your problem.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Tom, I think its important for a writer to have a strong opinion or emotion on what they are writing about. Otherwise, who would read something that is lackluster and dull?
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