Sunday, October 23, 2011

Out of My Head and Onto the Page

This past week, I required my Creative Writing class to create blogs.  I told them how important frequent writing is and how a blog is an excellent forum to "voice" one's thoughts to the (cybor)  world.  I also cautioned them that material posted on a blog is accessible to the public.  I compared blogging to standing on a street corner and yelling your thoughts / feelings to the passersby.  One would have no control over which individuals happened to walk by in that scenario, just as the blogger has no control of who happens to find a specific blog.  Lastly, I reminded my students that once blogs are posted, the material is technically published, so I cautioned them to use common sense regarding language and content.

Overall, the results were satisfactory.  A few of the students outdid themselves, as is typically the case with any assignment.  A few did not even do the assignment . . . as is typically the case with any assignment.  Perhaps one of the most positive result of this assignment was that reading my students' blogs motivated me to begin my own - something I've been trying to address for about a year now.  Why has it taken me so long to begin?  I created my profile some time ago, intending to follow through, but have been remiss.  Not that I haven't been writing.  I've actually been quite pleased with the essays I've produced during the past year (despite my inability to get any of them published).

Writing is not fun for me, though I seem to recall that it once was.  Perhaps, now that I've  finally begun blogging, I will find it rewarding enough to continue.  I hope so.