The Week the World Got Bigger
I started the Wordpress Blogging 101 course last weekend without any great aspirations, or aims – I just wanted to take part in something that hopefully kick-started me into writing something a little more worthy than mundane posts about cycling to work, or the clientle at the local Starbucks. Doing the writing exercises each day has made everything easy, and brought about an unexpected explosion in readers.
I've been floored, to be honest. I started the week with a few readers, and ended the week with... how do I put this... more. A lot more. More readers means expectations though – and pressure on myself to post entertaining, witty, interesting posts about the life I don't have. When we get to the end of the Blogging 101 course, do I really have anything to share worth reading?
Can I really string words together impressively enough to make reading them a pleasure, rather than a chore? Does my lack of literary training leave you, my unexpectedly growingaudience, gnashing your teeth as you wander off in search of better grammar and punctuation ?
If you guys hadn't started reading the rubbish I'm writing, I would have been able to justify walking away due to the cost of running the blog – except of course Wordpress is free... Writing the blog costs me nothing, except time. Buying a domain name cost less per month than one lunch from the sandwich guy that turns up at work.
We have reached the point in a so-so blog post where I flip-flop into a consideration of the statements I have made, and navel gaze insufferably about them.
I promise to keep things short.
I have lots to share that I know others are interested inmy only concern is a classic one; the most popular subjects are the most difficult to write about. The children, adoption, work, relationships, real life struggles, and my realthoughts about life, the universe and everything.
Why the emphasis on the word real? Perhaps because I very rarely stand my own ideas and opinions up to be knocked down by the passing crowd. Maybe it's time I did so. The one subject I have systematically avoided within the annuls of Tumblr, WordPress, Facebook or Twitter has been my religious faith or lack of it. I sometimes wonder if its time I did something about it. There's also the whole subject of our adoption of three amazing little girls, and our continuing struggle – attempting to be the best parents we can be (spectaculary averagely at times).
I find difficulty expressing negativity. I'm not talking about the little thingscomplaining about the rain, or my laptop, or what the cat just did. I'm talking about the big stuff; the objectional views and behaviour of otherssome of whom I know and like. I'm the guy that everybody thinks is happy-go-lucky, when in reality I'm inventing chants to bring plagues and pestilence down upon you as I walk away with gritted teeth.
I will admit to never writing drafts, editing, or spell checking. The words you read are as they left my fingers. I'm never going to write “On The Road”, but at least you know there is an honesty in my misuse of grammar and punctuation. The quality of content tends to increase when I am well, not stressed, and not tiredit's not rocket science.
I guess I am lucky enough to claim at least a little competence at a few things in my quiet existence on this ball of mud, and writing is not one that I might be remembered for commercially, but I enjoy it none the less.
I can live with that.