I am a murderer. I am a thief. I am the worst person you have ever met. There is a reason why just being in my presence makes the hackles on the back of your neck stand up.
But most of you will ignore the soft whisper in the back of your mind that tells you to get away from me. You ignore your intuition to your detriment and to my benefit. And that is how I like it.
You’ll wait a moment and try to reconcile your thoughts with the feeling you get when you look at my face. Big warm smile, eyes that twinkle and a deep voice that rumbles just a little bit.
I can’t be those horrible things. I have to be better, different. I am not a murderer. I am not evil. I am someone warm, special and interesting. You like spending time with me because I make you laugh and you feel safe, secure.
The Ancient Art of Blogging
These words you read here and this thing that I and so many others is doing isn’t new. There is nothing new about story telling or keeping a journal of our thoughts, ideas and feelings. Go back in time and you find nothing but oodles of examples of the ancient art of blogging.
Sometimes it is nothing more than drawings on the walls of caves and sometimes it is something more sophisticated like the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. What you do when you blog is form one more link in the chain of history.
I don’t know about you but I think that is really cool. It reminds me of conversations with the children about how telling stories helps keep our dead alive. Every time I tell someone about my grandfather his spirit rises from wherever it is and for a brief time it is like he is sitting in the chair next to me.
The Ancient of Blogging is just another way of saying that we are story tellers and I love that. A good story is magical. It transports you to another place and time. It is a tool we can use to create entire worlds, build a new reality/identity.
Sometimes when I push publish I wonder what people will think of my words. Will the tales I tell be relegated to the ranks of hack writers and amateurs who never managed to do much of anything with their words or will they be placed among the masters.
Questions, so many questions.
This is the second or third time that I have chosen to use that picture. There is a point and a purpose to it. That picture makes people feel and that is what I want my words to do. Some remember other times and places and others just smile.
It sets a tone and creates a mood.
I like it so I am using it again. I am a green blogger. I recycle my old posts. Sometimes I write a thousand word post and decide that I don’t like it so I refuse to publish it. I click delete and you can hear the screams of a million pixels that will never see the light of day.
This post about the ancient art of blogging feels a bit like Frankenstein’s monster to me. There was a different post. I wrote it well after midnight and then decided that it had no flow and no feeling so I killed it.
But instead of deleting and destroying I saved it and used some of the parts and pieces.
The Ancient Art of Blogging is the kind of headline that catches my eye and makes me want to know just a little bit more about what was written.
I read those words and I can’t help but wonder if maybe the author knows something that I don’t about blogging. Have they some nugget of wisdom to share with me that I haven’t heard before. Will it be the post that teaches me how to catch lightning in a bottle or something close to it.
Some people might suggest that it is self serving to praise my own headline and I would agree with them because it is. I would also point out that I routinely tell people that this blog is about dreams. Some of those dreams are fragile. They are like holding water in the palm of your hand where you don’t dare do more than hold still because if you move or hold on tighter all that water would slip between your fingers and be lost forever.
When I say that writing isn’t the hardest part of blogging it isn’t because I am trying to make you feel badly or engaging in link bait. It is because I believe it to be so. I believe that a blog is the perfect place to chase those dreams I mentioned and to try to suss out the truth of our hearts in ways that we might not otherwise do.
Just Write
The real point and purpose of this post is to be a part of Just Write. It is an exercise in free writing and an opportunity to not be caught up in convention. There doesn’t have to be a structure or outline to this.
It is just how I prime the pump and prepare myself to write more words. Right now I am writing more than I ever have. I am pushing harder to try to reach the next rung. I am talking to more people about my words, promoting my blogs and asking them to give me their time.
I’ll share more about this in a coming post. I am a man on a mission. Just Write is part of the process and something that I enjoy participating in every week. Thank you for reading.
Can I start by just saying that I love the word “suss”? I really must work that into a sentence in a post sometime.
I greatly fear “Just Write” because it’s what I’ve been doing most of my life and I don’t have much to show for it. Random creative that I am, I go every which way: start-stop-start in almost a schizophrenic way. I’m curious to learn more, though. See? There I go again!
I am working with a developmental editor to suss out (hey I used the term!) the plot of my memoir. It’s the kind of structured writing that is foreign to me. I love the idea of this post, though (especially the title). This feels like a very random comment. : )
Hi Judy,
I don’t know where I first heard ‘suss” but when it works well it really sings. There is nothing wrong with random comments but that comes from a man who enjoys meandering down the path.
There is nothing wrong with going straight, but there is something special about just wandering wherever whim takes you. That structure you speak of, well I know it all too well.
Perhaps that is why I like random and I definitely share that curiosity. It is a good thing.
You also had me at I’m a murderer Jack but I was expecting to read another one of your posts that lead into a longer more involved one. Personally, I love reading about murderers mostly those that have gotten caught. Shame on them for that act but I love the fact they didn’t get away with it. I know, I’m warped.
I love the new look and the header stands out. Nice job Jack the blog is really coming along nicely.
I don’t write every day and I don’t write just about nothing. I do write articles though when I’m not writing posts so I’ll create a couple a day but I don’t do it every single day. I wish I had the time to just write about nothing but work gets in the way you know. I do think that the more people write though, the more comfortable they become. Great exercise, I agree.
Another captivating post Jack. You’re so good at that though and you know it.
I don’t think you are warped. Unfortunately we know that there are people who are going to cross that line and take a life. It feels good to hear that they are caught because it is one less monster in the dark.
Lack of time is always the biggest challenge for me. I can’t tell you how many time I have had an idea and then gotten stuck working or doing other stuff. It is frustrating.
Hope you are having a great day.
I think you had me with the “I am a murderer. I am a thief.” lines. Coincidentally, you’ve reminded me that I have a post about thievery and another one about lying that are waiting to be published.
I like the “Just Write” exercise. The simple act of writing frees a person to write more words.
Hi Erin,
Just Write has been great. I heartily advocate participating in it. It is fun to just let loose and not worry about a point, or destination.