Something I often think about is the role of "writing" as opposed to "blogging." Recently on Cory Miller's site, blogger-of-note Andrew Jones endorsed blogging as a better pastime than "the lesser honor of book writer." I'm not sure I'm there. But it's hard to deny that the main streams of commentary on the blogosphere are swift, brief, and reactive.
Joe Carter, another well-known evangelical, recently resolved to "be more bloggy," which means posting shorter pieces. Meanwhile, Tom Spann comments that "blogging is a melding of
magazine writing, journalling, and instant messaging" - and that's not a bad description. Given that my interests are more creative and bookish, this is something I wonder about: How far is it worth going to accommodate the medium of "blogging?"
My approach has been to attempt an uneasy alliance between short, commentary pieces and longer, more creative posts. The result is an eclectic, funky Hoops and Culture News Meets Creative Theology flavor. Strange, but I seem to be a writer who blogs, and I'm not sure what to do. To give you a picture: For every 20 guys watching the Google headlines and posting about them, there's a 21st guy sitting under a tree reading Shakespeare (and C.S. Lewis) and then posting about it. Guess who's me.
I can't make myself embrace the two-minute infoblast with no caps and no spell check. And I can't write exclusively long, creative pieces that would make BitterSweetLife into successive chapters of a book. Then again, maybe a book deal would solve this whole dilemma... In the meantime, I need to master the art of the short creative post... Oh well.
How do you reconcile the blogosphere's infobuzz atmosphere with your desire to think and write creatively? Thoughts?
Monday, October 16, 2006
Writing vs Blogging, Creativity vs. Buzz,
Shakespeare vs. Google
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4 comments:
Somehow, no matter what I do, I feel like I've done it wrong. If I "write" it, it feels too long. If I "blog" it, it feels trite and not thought out. And if I "journal" it, it feels too personal. I can't seem to win, so I just sort of "Stream of Conscience" it, and it always feels as if it just popped out of my head that way. ;)
Or should that be, Conscious?
How do you reconcile the blogosphere's infobuzz atmosphere with your desire to think and write creatively?
I haven't. I'm with Will--it's hard to write short posts because I feel like I can't say anything worthwhile. But then my longer posts always strike me as inappropriate for a blog. I can never get it right!
On the other hand, you, Ariel, do a fine job of striking that balance. In my opinion, anyway.
Thanks for the thoughts, guys. This will probably be something I continue to wrestle with...I think the internet is kind of hard on "creative writers." At the very least, it's an interesting challenge.
"...And if I "journal" it, it feels too personal."
I'm with you there. I don't really see blogging as a "substitute" for journaling. At least not the kind of journaling I do. Or did.
"What I found in blogging is ... I can blog it one chapter, one paragraph, whatever, at a time."
Posting longer "creative" pieces in segments may not be a bad idea...especially if the "series" can maintain some momentum.
"But then my longer posts always strike me as inappropriate for a blog."
I've enjoyed several of your longer pieces, Jamie, so keep after it. I think we're in the same boat here. (Thanks for the props. :)
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