Shoe Shopping
I like to try on ideas the way I try on shoes. This one's sexy, but could I walk in it for miles? When and where will the blisters develop? This one's practical and sturdy, sure -- but is it really my style? This one is as comfortable as my favorite pair of sneakers. It's the easiest thing to throw on when I'm in a hurry...but that doesn't mean it's always the most appropriate for the occasion. I like to play with ideas, break them in, see where they take me. I can't tell how they'll fit until I've worn them in for awhile.
That's pretty much what this is blog is about. Writing down the ideas constantly running through my head, getting them down on paper, seeing what they mean and where they lead. No idea, in my mind, is too big or too small, too banal or too sacrosanct, to get a little critical examination. No cow too sacred to be milked. I like to question assumptions and pick apart trains of -- often faulty -- logic. Speak truth to power, or at least ask it a few pointed questions.
Lately I've been thinking a lot about immigration, gender roles in dating, Massachusetts' new health care plan, our definitions of 'sanity' and 'normal', the uses and abuses of casual sex, the isolating effects of iPods and cellphones, and whether stability is a good thing or a bad thing. I imagine those will all work themselves into future blog posts in one way or another.
I also like to write, and I like the idea of using the blog to get a little exercise. My dirty little secret: regardless of what it may say on my resume or paycheck, I really think of myself as a writer. I obsess over rhythm, pacing, word choice, flow; I'm incredibly critical when it comes to grammar. I can be more passionate about the process of writing than subject matter or the final product.
I've never had much luck with fiction, though, and while I spend most of my working life churning out bullshit in all its various forms-- intriguing, well-crafted, highly effective bullshit, to be sure, but bullshit none the less -- it isn't the sort of writing that really speaks to my soul. The market for the modern persuasive or contemplative essay may be limited at best these days, but luckily for me, Blogger seems to give out space for these new-fangled blog-things for free.
Writing is my own personal way of performing -- look at the cool tricks I can do with semi-colons! -- and I feel the constant need for the audience, or at least the illusion of one. Every journal I've ever tried to keep has failed miserably, yet I love typing long, prolific emails. Even if no one reads what I write, the fact that someone might is enough to get my fingers moving on the keyboard. Let's see if it works this time.
That's pretty much what this is blog is about. Writing down the ideas constantly running through my head, getting them down on paper, seeing what they mean and where they lead. No idea, in my mind, is too big or too small, too banal or too sacrosanct, to get a little critical examination. No cow too sacred to be milked. I like to question assumptions and pick apart trains of -- often faulty -- logic. Speak truth to power, or at least ask it a few pointed questions.
Lately I've been thinking a lot about immigration, gender roles in dating, Massachusetts' new health care plan, our definitions of 'sanity' and 'normal', the uses and abuses of casual sex, the isolating effects of iPods and cellphones, and whether stability is a good thing or a bad thing. I imagine those will all work themselves into future blog posts in one way or another.
I also like to write, and I like the idea of using the blog to get a little exercise. My dirty little secret: regardless of what it may say on my resume or paycheck, I really think of myself as a writer. I obsess over rhythm, pacing, word choice, flow; I'm incredibly critical when it comes to grammar. I can be more passionate about the process of writing than subject matter or the final product.
I've never had much luck with fiction, though, and while I spend most of my working life churning out bullshit in all its various forms-- intriguing, well-crafted, highly effective bullshit, to be sure, but bullshit none the less -- it isn't the sort of writing that really speaks to my soul. The market for the modern persuasive or contemplative essay may be limited at best these days, but luckily for me, Blogger seems to give out space for these new-fangled blog-things for free.
Writing is my own personal way of performing -- look at the cool tricks I can do with semi-colons! -- and I feel the constant need for the audience, or at least the illusion of one. Every journal I've ever tried to keep has failed miserably, yet I love typing long, prolific emails. Even if no one reads what I write, the fact that someone might is enough to get my fingers moving on the keyboard. Let's see if it works this time.
posted by Melissa at 10:09 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home