The land of the blog is a culture that takes some time to absorb. There is a hefty learning curve involved in becoming a proficient speaker of Blogese. Good blogs attract readers who write comments and real friendships develop from comment comaraderie. Kind of like pen pals from the days of old but with a sense of immediacy to it.
There are millions of blogs and a writer has to be creative in attracting a readership beyond close friends and family. One of the ways that blog sites do this is by hosting "interviews" (in Blogese: "memes") on their site. They write out a list of questions and any blogger who cares to answer the questions can link back to their site. I have seen a few of these but none particularly interested me...until yesterday. I came across on hosted by Chilihead .(Yes, you read that right. Chilihead. I'm sure there is a story in there somewhere.) I found questions listed there encouraging bloggers to share the history of their blog. I'm not much for following rules so I will not bore you with the questions but will instead just tell the story.
I know you are wondering how someone with a two month old blog can write about its history. But I ask you, can a mother of a two-month-old baby write the history of that baby. Yes, of course, she can. Well then, let me bore you with the details of this baby!
We had recently moved to Smallville when Small Scribbles came into being. Two of my real life friends let me know that they had started blogs...Refresh My Soul and Notes from the Soul. I did not read their blogs right away but I thought to myself, "I could write one. I think. " And so I started. I wrote ten or fifteen posts before I let anyone know that I was writing. I thought that my brain might freeze and I would have nothing to write about after two posts. This did not turn out to be the case. I found the longer I wrote the more I had to say. I began to find the extraordinary in the ordinary events that make up my days. I was thankful for an outlet that kept me from becoming The Invisible Mom.
I wish, in a way, that I had spent a few months reading blogs before I started writing. I would have come up with a catchier name than Small Scribbles. ( The name does best describe the essence of this blog.) I always find myself clicking on blogs with catchy names and if I were to do this over again I would call this one Fried Twinkies and Other Southern Delights. Alas, it's water under the dam and I am The Small Scribbler.
In a way, I am glad I did not start reading other blogs before I started mine because I would have been tempted to write with the grace and beauty found in Lots of Scotts or with the spiritual depth that I enjoy in Notes from the Soul. I like the self-consciousness and honesty that I read in kittyhox and the snappy way that Antique Mommy puts thoughts together. If I had read all of these before I started my own blog I think I would have been a schizophrenic writer. Even though the very nature of blogging is schizophrenic...a post on turtles one day and marriage the next... there must be some continuity to the style of writing. I try to tell these things with a rhythm, an honesty, and attention to detail that draws people in. Sometimes sarcastic sentences form in my head but I usually end up choosing simplicity over sarcasm.
The most surprising thing to me about writing a blog is that I have family members who read it faithfully. My mom and dad and my sister-in-law read it and they like it. This shocks me. Susie, my childhood babysitter, and friends that I have not seen for years are readers. I am astonished at the way this has rekindled connections from days gone by. Stuart is my best critic. I watch him as he previews a post and wait to hear him chuckle or make comments and suggestions. John and Lauren are excellent editors. I count their critiques as school.
Blogging has helped me to become a more keen observer of my surroundings...of sights...sounds...scents...emotions. A story is infinitely more interesting if all the senses are engaged. It is magic when I watch a story unfold before me as I go about my day. I find myself searching for descriptive words and hoarding memories like a squirrel stores nuts to later replay at the computer.
These days, I am decoding the mysteries of Html, figuring out Technorati and SiteMeter, and fighting to keep this blogging thing a hobby and not an obsession. I am a homeschooling mother of many. I do not have time for obsessions.
I am off to Blogging Basics 101 to figure out how to link this thing to Chilihead's blog. If I am successful I will have one more tool to add to my Blogger Geek Toolkit.
*******
There are millions of blogs and a writer has to be creative in attracting a readership beyond close friends and family. One of the ways that blog sites do this is by hosting "interviews" (in Blogese: "memes") on their site. They write out a list of questions and any blogger who cares to answer the questions can link back to their site. I have seen a few of these but none particularly interested me...until yesterday. I came across on hosted by Chilihead .(Yes, you read that right. Chilihead. I'm sure there is a story in there somewhere.) I found questions listed there encouraging bloggers to share the history of their blog. I'm not much for following rules so I will not bore you with the questions but will instead just tell the story.
I know you are wondering how someone with a two month old blog can write about its history. But I ask you, can a mother of a two-month-old baby write the history of that baby. Yes, of course, she can. Well then, let me bore you with the details of this baby!
We had recently moved to Smallville when Small Scribbles came into being. Two of my real life friends let me know that they had started blogs...Refresh My Soul and Notes from the Soul. I did not read their blogs right away but I thought to myself, "I could write one. I think. " And so I started. I wrote ten or fifteen posts before I let anyone know that I was writing. I thought that my brain might freeze and I would have nothing to write about after two posts. This did not turn out to be the case. I found the longer I wrote the more I had to say. I began to find the extraordinary in the ordinary events that make up my days. I was thankful for an outlet that kept me from becoming The Invisible Mom.
I wish, in a way, that I had spent a few months reading blogs before I started writing. I would have come up with a catchier name than Small Scribbles. ( The name does best describe the essence of this blog.) I always find myself clicking on blogs with catchy names and if I were to do this over again I would call this one Fried Twinkies and Other Southern Delights. Alas, it's water under the dam and I am The Small Scribbler.
In a way, I am glad I did not start reading other blogs before I started mine because I would have been tempted to write with the grace and beauty found in Lots of Scotts or with the spiritual depth that I enjoy in Notes from the Soul. I like the self-consciousness and honesty that I read in kittyhox and the snappy way that Antique Mommy puts thoughts together. If I had read all of these before I started my own blog I think I would have been a schizophrenic writer. Even though the very nature of blogging is schizophrenic...a post on turtles one day and marriage the next... there must be some continuity to the style of writing. I try to tell these things with a rhythm, an honesty, and attention to detail that draws people in. Sometimes sarcastic sentences form in my head but I usually end up choosing simplicity over sarcasm.
The most surprising thing to me about writing a blog is that I have family members who read it faithfully. My mom and dad and my sister-in-law read it and they like it. This shocks me. Susie, my childhood babysitter, and friends that I have not seen for years are readers. I am astonished at the way this has rekindled connections from days gone by. Stuart is my best critic. I watch him as he previews a post and wait to hear him chuckle or make comments and suggestions. John and Lauren are excellent editors. I count their critiques as school.
Blogging has helped me to become a more keen observer of my surroundings...of sights...sounds...scents...emotions. A story is infinitely more interesting if all the senses are engaged. It is magic when I watch a story unfold before me as I go about my day. I find myself searching for descriptive words and hoarding memories like a squirrel stores nuts to later replay at the computer.
These days, I am decoding the mysteries of Html, figuring out Technorati and SiteMeter, and fighting to keep this blogging thing a hobby and not an obsession. I am a homeschooling mother of many. I do not have time for obsessions.
I am off to Blogging Basics 101 to figure out how to link this thing to Chilihead's blog. If I am successful I will have one more tool to add to my Blogger Geek Toolkit.
*******
Comments
Ang
I hope I'm the sister-in-law you're referring to, and if so, yes, I do enjoy reading your blog. It takes me to another world each morning as I sit in my office and prepare to start my day at work.
We're off to Japan tomorrow! Can't wait although I'm a little nervous about the long flight. I'll show Tim your blog when we're over there. He's been so busy he hasn't had a chance to read it yet--he gets the highlights from me.
Love,
Kim
I count reading your blog as entertainment time. I am amazed by your writing abilities. I think K and I will start a sister in law fan club.