So how does one write a blog post? Where do the ideas come from?
I’ve never been much of a writer of diaries. A few abortive attempts during my teens
resulted in a handful of notebooks with their first few pages filled with
angsty musings and scraps of song lyrics which ‘spoke to me’ at the time. I unearthed one of these a little while ago
when clearing out my room at my parents’ place when they were preparing to
move. To describe it as
‘spincter-clenchingly awful’ would actually be too generous. I had to throw it away as quickly possible
just so that I could try to bury the shame.
However, like I say, these notebooks only had a few pages
filled. I always ran out of stuff to say
(or lyrics I wanted to quote), and I invariably gave up pretty soon after I’d
begun.
So why am I writing a blog post? Why indeed.
Well I like
writing, and whilst I’m making no claims to being some undiscovered genius,
I’ve always been told that I’m pretty good at it. I like
words. I like the way they can be woven
into complex tapestries and forms, and how the slightest change here or there
can alter the meaning of the whole.
Words are fascinating. Words
shape the world around us. Words are
what separate us from the beasts.
This blog is going to be all about getting my eye in. I’m trying to master the art of writing in a
non-work context. As it is, I currently
work in finance (and no, I’m not one of those evil bankers that brought the
global economy to its knees); whilst I can happily write a letter to Mrs
Miggins and tell her all about what’s going on with her pension, I haven’t the
first clue how to write about stuff that’s going on all around me. This is all about practice.
Anyway, back to the original questions: how does one write a blog post and where do
the ideas come from?
First the how.
Braindump maybe? I’m answering
the question with another question because I honestly don’t know the answer -
this is my first blog post after all. I
suppose I’m braindumping right now (in the pub with my girlfriend as it
happens), but these are just unformed thoughts, spilling forth onto my
keyboard. Maybe a drink or two is the
answer? I find I’m more lucid after a
few, but then again, I also have a tendency to spout crap when tipsy. I don’t know. Guess we’ll just see as time goes on. Stay tuned, folks!
Then where do the ideas come from? This is the bit that I’m really concerned
about. I see so many other great blogs,
and they’re all from people who have
something to say. Do I have
something to say? I always have an
opinion on things, but I rarely manage to think of things that I wish to
comment on. Or maybe I do, but I just
don’t remember? I think the answer to
this may be just taking notes. I’m sure
that I probably see something pretty much every day that I wish to comment
on. I just don’t put pen to paper (or
hand to keyboard) and actually set it down.
It’s going to be about taking notes, about being observant, and training
myself to see things that I might otherwise have glossed over.
I’d compare this to being a photographer. The great photographers have an eye for a
good picture. They will see details and
patterns in things that the average joe wouldn’t even look at. Whilst the true greats have a good deal of
natural talent, there is an amount of this that can be learned. I found this during my brief Instagram
obsession. Earlier in the year I went
through a phase of taking photos of everything and posting them on
Instagram. When I say ‘everything’ I
don’t mean just the mundane (I never posted a picture of a meal for example),
but I mean that I would make an effort to see interesting images
everywhere. I had a reasonable amount of
success too. I’m not a
photographer. I’m REALLY not a
photographer. But I’ll admit, I took a
handful of pretty decent pictures. If I
can apply that to blogging, then there’s no reason why I can’t write at least a
few decent posts. I just need to look
for inspiration everywhere.
I do worry that I'll end up turning into one of those people with a
Moleskine notebook taking notes on every tiny detail. That really would be horrible. Just so long as I don’t end up sitting in the
window of a coffee shop, tapping the end of my pen to my bottom lip whilst
gazing wistfully into the middle distance, I’ll be OK. I’m writing this on a PC rather than a Mac
too. HA!
TAKE THAT, CREATIVES!
I think that’s enough for my first blog post though. This is very much an experiment at the
moment, and I realise that this is unlikely to be the greatest piece of prose
you’ve ever read, but it’s a start.
It’s a start.
