What makes a good blog???

The good bloggers I read, daily, have at least one thing in common: the ability to blog on a wide range of topics, AND still maintain their own voices. Anyone can write anything, but would you know whose writing it was just from the writing style? Hm?

That's important... to me. After a while, I feel like I could read an anonymous, untitled entry, and still think "Hmm... this reads like [insert blogger]. These are things s/he would say." Perhaps it's the blog equivalent of knowing a person so well, you can almost think for them, or here a story about and know, "Oh, man... this is about That Guy, isn't it? Isn't it?! Tell!"

That's how I get, anyway. I'm excitable.

In my view, that would be the highest praise I could offer or receive; to say "I knew that was you," just because the voice and tone are distinct, and anyone paying attention to what I say knows that's how I stay things.

Yeah, I'll reword that, later.

What I mean is, So, That is to say In other words, it's not the muse that matters. Anyone can write about anything. Write about a car nearly hitting you while you crossed the street in a school zone; or the Christmas presents you want to be sure you don't receive this year; or, tell the truth, you don't really have a life beyond your blog. C'mon, you know it's true about someone... and "someone" does not mean me, so don't even start.



I've tried, many times, to force myself to think of things to write just because I felt like it was "that time," or I just wasn't inspired, or, "Oh no, this is a high-traffic time of day. Do it NOWWW," as if something magical must happen before the mood strikes me to share something. That's probably the source of the oft-encountered "BLOG Hiatus." A momentus event, when you're favorite writer shuts down for a while, and it's like "Ohhh, noooooes! Top blogs won't be the saaaaaame!"

Please... you must calm that down. Immediately. I can't read that (except here).

Anyway, there's no sense in forcing the issue trying to coming up with something clever, or resorting to the trendy BLOG topic of the day/month/week/election year. I suppose it's a good default, if you just have to say something to the adoring fans who eat at their desks during lunch time, or forgo happy hour with the boss just to read your latest update; but let's be honest, and agree that versatility, like satire, is nearly a lost art. Anything can be made clever, humorous, serious, or satirical, if you do it write right.

And that is why it's the writer's voice that is more important than subject matter, honestly. Anyone write about what happened, today; over the weekend; the epic fail of an online relationship; or your retaliation blog to a comment someone took way too seriously. I know. I've seen these. Some are whack, others are tremendously intriguing

Why? Because the writer told a good story and made what could be mundane, or seemingly-uninteresting something fun to read, or at least similar to something I've experienced, and injected several instances of "this is how this story goes when I write it." Or... it just sounds funny (since I've never had an epic fail of an online relationship). Anything can be your muse, because, let's face, it's not like the weirdness in my life is something I could make up. My muse is just whatever comes to mind when I sit down, and think "Uh..." and some form of ridiculousness comes out, and some of you like it, or at least pity-comment me. It's ok. I won't tell, nor do I cry into my huge pillow, every night, like "Why won't they recommend meeeeee?!"

That's why I say the subject matter doesn't have to be awesome. Look at the things I write.

Actually, don't. Please don't.



-----AYHIE