Writing…

Okay, so this is supposed to be a reading and writing journal, but so far I’ve only written about reading.  Well, it’s time to write about writing.  Specifically, it’s time to write about blogging.  Very late last night, I started uploading pics onto my other blog to write a post about the table I decoupaged over Labor Day weekend.  Well, the silly thing took on a life of its own. See, I was only going to get the pis up loaded and just write the intro, and then go to bed.  After all, it was 4 am. But, once I started working on the intro, I couldn’t stop writing.  It’s like it was pressing against my brain just dying to get out…

This actually happens to me quite often.  With any of my creative outlets.  I’ll get an idea, and I cannot rest until I have it out of my brain… or at least started (but that only works with the exceptionally large projects that require multiple days of work… and usually drying time…)

Another thing that happens to me quite often is that a project that is intended to be short and sweet (a quick blog post, just a pair of earrings, decoupaging the top of a little table) gets a mind of its own and becomes a monstrosity. In fact, read down a few posts; you can see several examples of that happening in my writing right here on this blog. I intended all these posts to be much of a muchness–just quick entries discussing various ideas I’ve had.  As you can see, a few of them really got out of hand.

So, why am I discussing all this?  Well, mainly just to point out that when it comes to writing, just like any other creative outlet (and don’t let anyone ever tell you different–anything you write can be a creative outlet, even that pesky research paper I’m requiring) it’s sometimes best to just let it go.  I don’t mean let it go and don’t do it… I mean let it go and take you over for a brief span.  You never know where you might end up.  Maybe with a beautiful new table or an awesome set of jewelry you can give as a gift!

Prof. Wilson

Blogs I enjoy… and a litle bit about Voice…

I’ve found, in the last few years, that I really enjoy reading blogs.  I’ve found some that were just odd and not so much fun to read, but I’ve also found a few gems.

I do have the “fluff” blogs (as I call them) that are primarily funny photos (I can has Cheeseburger, Cake Wrecks (so, yeah, I just got sucked into the Wreckage as I was looking up the web address… lol!) Ugliest Tattoo, Regretsy (fyi–these last two, often not suitable for the kiddos… just sayin’.) You know, fun fluffy stuffs…) and I generally check back on these blogs every few days, when I need a bit of downtime and a good chuckle.

And, of course, there are my business-y blogs, giving me tips and tricks and ideas for my jewelry business.  These are good because I am, essentially, clueless… Most of these blogs come from either Artfire or Etsy, and you can find them at those sites, if you’re interested.

And then I have the blogs that I read because I love the writer’s voice (aka, my “fun blogs.”) These are the blogs that I look forward to the writers’ new posts, and I tend to have these in my Google Reader.  In this category we have things like Epbot (how cute is that lil’ robot! I wants him!), Points for Creativity (a good friend of mine who blogs rarely, but it’s worth it when she does!), and Sacking the Llamas (from a former student on whom I blame MY blogging now… :)). There are other blogs I enjoy, of course, but these are kinda my big three. The writers of these blogs are people who I’m either friends with, or who I think I could very easily be friends with, and I enjoy hearing (yes, hearing, even though I’m reading) what they have to say.  This is where that idea of “voice” comes back in. See, this is one of those things that I have the occasional trouble explaining to students.  Voice. And tone.

So what does that mean? Well, per Dictionary.com, “voice” can be defined, grammatically speaking, as “expression in written or spoken words.”   Hmmm… clear as mud… Let’s look at tone, then.  Again, per Dictionary.com, “tone” is defined as “a particular style or manner, as of writing or speech; mood.”  Hmmm… that helps a bit more.  See, voice and tone are things that I am concerned with for my students, but they’re also something that I instinctively grasp.  I think part of that is because I am an avid reader and writer, but I also have a strong musical background, and these are things that we talk about there, as well.

So, how do I see the voice and tone of my favorite blogs?  Well, the fluff blogs are just that, fluff.  There’s not a great amount of writing, necessarily, but because of the nature of the blogs, what is there tends to be more sarcastic or humorous in nature, going for the easy laugh.  After all, that’s what those sites are about. The business-y blogs usually maintain a bit more formal tone, although not like something you’d see in an academic or medical-type journal.  Just, they’re not going for the laugh, they’re trying to impart useful information, so the way they present that info is going to be more formal in nature.  That’s not to say they’re not fun to read, because they often are.  The authors very often do a very good job of leavening their serious info with fun anecdotes.

Now my fun blogs, their voices are very different from these other two categories. Jen, the writer of Epbot, has tagged her blog as “Geekery, Girliness, & General Goofing Off.” (Incidentally, she’s also one of the writers of Cake Wrecks). One of the main reasons I love this blog is because, quite frankly, she speaks to me. You know?  I, myself, am “geeky” and “girly,” and I do tend to goof off quite often… (and yes, I’m paying a bit of am homage to Beetlejuice… did ya catch it?) Her voice, though, is so much fun! She’s enthusiastic, occasionally a little bit sarcastic, and she references all the movies I grew up on (and I have the feeling, she does so because they’re the same movies she grew up on.)  Jessica, from Points for Creativity, is an old friend from way back.  Her voice, in the case of her blog, is also a little bit sarcastic, very enthusiastic, and a little bit self-deprecating. Plus, she discusses her crafty endeavours, and she’s incredibly talented.  She’s given me some of the best pointers I could have ever gotten in terms of how to think outside the box (which is one of my big problems…) And Chris, from Sacking the Llamas, now he’s a very methodical writer (just what I could have asked for in a student! LOL!) But at the same time that he’s methodical, he’s also a bit geeky himself (yes, I’ve tended to surround my virtual life with geeks. In the real world, I’m not the lone geek, but there’s not too others around.  I’m okay with that!) Chris discusses gaming, and books, and computers, and puts a lot of research into his more lengthy posts, providing extensive links. His posts are interesting, well-thought out, and I’m always eager to see what else he has to say.

Voice and tone are definitely important in writing. The proper turn of phrase can change the entire reception of a piece. The kicker is that some writers automatically have a grasp of the proper use of voice and tone.  Others have to work on this. But, as with all other things writing-related, practice can help.  And feedback.  Feedback is ALWAYS important, and probably the most helpful aspect of writing.

So, get out there and write!  Have fun with it!

Prof. Wilson