“Blogging, the Other White Meat”

To us writers the world of blogging is lot like high school, and the physical act itself is like the cigarettes and other extracurricular activities that were frowned upon by the authority, but thanks to good old fashioned peer pressure and the mindset that “everyone else is doing it”  we jump on the bandwagon and start our own blogs.

The bloggers themselves can also be compared to the various student types you would find within the classroom setting, like for example the “teacher’s pet”, these are the people who play it safe, they stay within the lines of the highway known as life and they write what they believe the teacher (who in this case would be the general public) wants to read.

Next you have the rebels, the bad boys (or girls, don’t want to sound sexiest here) of the blogging world, the Zack Morris type if you will, these are the people who go against the grain, who go out of their way to stray from the heard and only write things that they believe would result in shock and awe from the reader.

Then you have the so-called brains, the bloggers who believe that they know it all, and without them and their vast knowledge of the world and all things in it, we would be completely lost and roaming around like a blind person without a cane and/or any other instrument to help us find our way.

Finally we have the screw-ups, the writers (if you can call them that) who have no frigging idea what they are doing and why they are doing it, they believe just because they have a blog that they are a writer, they don’t seem to realize (or care depending on the person) that writing requires skill and talent, not just the ability to push random buttons on a keyboard like a chicken feeding on corn.

To me personally blogging is a lot of fun; it’s a way to express myself without having to listen to other people’s opinions and/or their feelings on the particular topic I so choose to discuss, in a way I feel like a god, now granted not a god you would find on Mount Olympus chilling with Zeus or one that has thousands of faithful followers doing my bidding, but nevertheless I am still a god.

Blogging also makes me feel like a rockstar, but not the kind that has women screaming his name and throwing their panties on the stage as he bellows out their favorite songs, but rather the kind that believes he is something special because he is rocking out in his garage and random clubs with his friends with the hopes of one day getting discovered and scoring a record deal, or in my case a job as a real writer.

So remember, blogging can be a lot of fun and a great way to hone your craft, as long as that craft is witch craft because there is already way too much of that crap on the net.

It is not a get rich quick scheme; it takes a lot of hard work, dedication and lots, and lots of patience, so if you don’t plan on seeing the race through to the end then don’t even bother.

There is also a ton of competition out there, pretty much everyone and their mother has a blog and believes themself to be a writer, the next big thing, and totally not afraid to step on your head if it means getting themselves over.

Lastly, just because you write doesn’t mean you’re a writer, just as much so as playing Operation doesn’t make you a surgeon or playing with Mr. Potato Head make you a plastic surgeon, so listen to the feedback and don’t be afraid to seek the advice of others.

Now I don’t want you to think I’m trying to persuade you from blogging, just know that it is only a launching spot, like a trampoline at Harlem Globetrotters show when they go up for one of their famous whacky and zany dunks, it is just the starting line not the finish line.

MJM