I resisted blogging for a long time. I even made fun of the word: blogging. It seemed to describe the sound you’d make if you were drowning in quicksand. Even worse was the term blogosphere. I’m not sure why, but I pictured a huge glass ball splattered with mud. I still do, actually.
The truth is, I resented the whole thing. I’d go to an online newspaper or magazine to read about an important event and there would be a report by some blogger. Often, the article would be riddled with grammatical errors, causing me to think smugly, “I guess anyone can be a writer these days.” Smugly and correctly, in that anyone can call themselves a writer these days. But that’s always been true. The writing profession was, until a few years ago, not a sphere but a giant pyramid. The top of the pyramid was reserved for the real writers, the professionals, those universally-acknowledged to be gifted. It was, in many ways, a closed club. You could break in — every generation has had its own class of inductees — but it took a lot of persistence and a lot of luck, and even then you could easily spend your life writing for nobody. Which meant that farther down the pyramid, there were excellent writers we never heard of, and whose work we never got the chance to read.
Of course there were also people calling themselves writers who were terrible at it. They couldn’t put together a coherent sentence and had little to say that was interesting. They almost never broke into print, and that was one of the advantages of the pyramid system: readers missed out on some good writers, but they were rarely subjected to bad ones.
Fast forward to our century, and the blogosphere. Much of what I described in the two previous paragraphs has been flipped around. We bump into bad writers every day. And if you’re starting to resent that term, I’m sorry, but just as there are bad dentists and bad trumpet players, there are bad writers. The good news is that we’ve discovered what we suspected all along: there are many more good writers than we could have ever bumped into before. Many of them are still creating books produced by traditional publishing companies, and I hope those never go away. But many others occupy the blogosphere. They’re working hard at their craft, creating wondrous experiences available to anyone willing to do a little searching. (They remind me of those eccentric artists who spent their entire lives building and polishing some secret monument to their own creativity — places such as Opus 40 in Saugerties, New York, or the eye-popping creations of Modern Earth and Land Art. If you were lucky, you could occasionally see some of these amazing sights on 60 Minutes or in a photography magazine, but for the most part they remained unknown to most people.)
I have been blogging for just over two months. In that extremely short time, I have bumped into — stumbled upon, somehow — some incredibly good writers. These are people who spend little of their time on self-promotion and much of it on working their craft. They’re producing something important and valuable, and in some cases quite beautiful. I’ve been humbled by their work. I’ve also found myself feeling grateful that I surrendered to the inevitable, found my little door into that big glass ball, and have myself become one of the tiny specks of mud in the blogosphere.
Here are ten of the creative and gifted people I’ve already been fortunate to find. Each of their blogs has been more than eye-popping: they’ve been mind-popping. Yes, we’re harassed every day by spammers and scammers, dishonest people taking full advantage of the nearly-universal connection the Internet has given them. That harassment, I suppose, is the price we pay for access to the other side of humanity, those who spend their time creating something good, and gorgeous.
It’s a small price to pay, I now freely admit.
Big Happy Nothing
These posts are written by Amiable Amiable, my first blogging buddy. (We co-coined the term bluddy, or blud. I say co-coined because neither of us wants to take the blame.) She uses blogging to instantly transport herself and her husband to far-away places around the globe. These electronic out-of-body experiences are filled with breathtaking scenery, exotic wildlife, well-researched information, and the perfect photo or video clip. A.A. sometimes stays home to give us an insightful glimpse into family and community life. It’s all a great adventure, and always a big happy something.
The Task At Hand
Linda Leinen’s blog has a subtitle: “A writer’s on-going search for just the right word.” Her posts are masterpieces of writing (and I don’t use that word very often.) Themes are wide-ranging: sailing, literature, nature, history. But those simple words can be deceiving, because Linda always finds a way to take seemingly disparate strands of life and weave them in unexpected and beautiful ways. Her posts are illustrated with intriguing photos and drawings. And they are always, it seems to me, written with precisely the right words.
Charles Paolino’s Blog
Reading Mr. Paolino’s posts is like wandering around one of the Smithsonian museums. You just never know what you’ll find, but you’re sure it will be fascinating. His interests are wildly eclectic, and in many ways match my own — baseball, Lincoln, Einstein, The Honeymooners, history, books, politics, movies, science, travel — but his ability to write about them in fascinating detail far exceeds my own. Mr. Paolino’s posts have already accumulated into a book in my mind, and I hope to see them printed and bound on my bookshelf some day.
The Happy Freelancer
Heidi Turner is a professional writer whose wonderful skills and gentle approach combine for a comfortable course on how to write, and how to make a living at it. Her posts explore all of the avenues leading to writing success, including how to relate to editors, whether to join a writer’s group, how to generate ideas, where to find work, and much more. Heidi is one of the few experts I know who’s out there helping her competition — for free. I recently discovered she has a second blog, Tripific, about travel in the Canadian and American West.
Cooperstowners in Canada
When I first investigated Kevin Glew’s blog, my hopes weren’t high. It was about baseball, yes, but with a focus on Hall of Fame players who either grew up in Canada or played for one of its two major league teams. How much material could there be? Quite a lot, it turns out. Coupled with Kevin’s thorough research and excellent writing, his storytelling skills produce enjoyable reading on all topics related to the Toronto Blue Jays and Montreal’s former Expos. His commentary is sharp, but fair, and there’s a nice balance of history and current events.
Es*sense: Esmaa’s Sense of Things
If you love gardening, cooking, outdoor adventure, and all things Colorado-natural, you’ll love Esmaa’s blog. But I have to warn you: There is so much here, you may never find your way back. Countless articles on how to grow, prepare, and store fruits, vegetables, herbs, and homemade beauty products. How to get the most out of your greenhouse, how to build your own hanging garden, how to use land most efficiently, and on and on to topics I could have never imagined. Beautiful photos, helpful videos, and a sense of humor, too. Go see.
I’m Just Sharing
This is one of several blogs created by T.T. “Mitch” Mitchell. There are plenty of nice human beings who write blogs, and plenty more who can give you all the advice you’d ever want about emerging technology and how to use it to attain your goals. Mitch is both. He’s a sensitive and funny man who happens to know a ton about social networking and online marketing. He’s written books and conducts workshops, but he gives much of it away for free in this goldmine of a blog. He also speaks his mind on politics, health, gadgets, and pretty much everything else.
The Science Essayist
As she describes herself, “The Science Essayist is Meera Lee Sethi, an inquisitive nonfiction writer and part-time skinner of birds.” This is another of those blogs that offers up a new surprise with every post. Each is written with clarity, startling insight, and humor. And while most topics are, at their core, scientific, Meera invites us to watch over her shoulder as she views them through a wide assortment of lenses. She’s one of those geniuses who describes herself as though she were one of us. The result is exhilarating, enlightening, and wonderfully human.
What Gives 365
I discovered Betty Londergan at my local bookstore last year. Not Betty, exactly, but her amazing book, The Agony and the Agony: Raising Your Teenager Without Losing Your Mind. I’ve told Betty that her funny and informative book has already saved our teenaged son’s life (and our sanity) several times. But there’s much more to this woman than great writing. Since January 1 of this year, Betty has been donating $100 a day — every day — to charitable organizations and other worthy causes, many at the suggestion of her readers. Visit her blog and be inspired.
Mirrored Images
Julia Harris is a writer and editor who loves the English language, and who uses it masterfully to describe and comment on her life and the world around her. Whether she’s inviting us to listen in on her interactions with her husband and two sons, friends, extended family, total strangers, workplace, general environment, or the state of her health, Julia treats every topic with brutal honesty, intelligence, and humor. She has a sharp tongue and a heart of pure gold, and appears last on this list only because she’s my newest favorite discovery.
Ryan Anderson
July 17, 2010
great post!
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bronxboy55
July 17, 2010
Thanks. Glad you liked it.
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heidit
July 17, 2010
Well, what a wonderful post. First, thank you so much for the compliments. If I’m not careful, what you’ve said will go to my head. Thank you also for mentioning Tripific. Second, I agree with you about some of those other bloggers. Cooperstowners in Canada is a fantastic blog and I’ve really enjoyed what I’ve read at Big Happy Nothing. I’ll be checking out the blogs you mentioned that I don’t already read. If you like them, they must be good (doesn’t that sound egotistical of me?).
Third, like you I resisted blogging for a long time (I also started Twitter at around the same time I started my blog.) Some of the people I’ve found, or who have found me, have been so amazing and wonderful, it makes me regret not starting sooner. You are at the top of the list of people I’m so happy to have become acquainted with. Your blog is humourous, well-written and insightful and your book is fantastic.
One of the main reasons I avoided Twitter and blogging was the media. It really annoys me when journalists turn to Twitter and Facebook for their “Man on the Street” quote. Those quotes are often poorly written and, honestly, who cares what @joe_blow_65402 (I hope that’s a fake Twitter handle) thinks about taxes (or any other topic, for that matter)? How do we know he has any special knowledge of the topic at hand? (I could rant for days about some “journalists” but the truth is that, like writers, there are good journalists and bad ones. I’m better off focusing my energy on helping writers.)
Blogs, Twitter and Facebook seemed self-indulgent. But they’re also a lot of fun and they’ve opened my world up to some amazing people, you included. For that, they’re absolutely worth it.
Now, to figure out how to charge my competition for all the free advice I give…
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bronxboy55
July 18, 2010
I think one of the problems with the media these days is that there’s so much more space to fill. The news on television, for example, used to be on at six o’clock and eleven o’clock. Then they added 10 p.m. for the people who didn’t stay up late. Then 5 p.m. for the people who ate dinner at 6. And suddenly CNN was broadcasting news 24 hours a day, and they had to keep talking even when there was nothing much to say. Now we have countless cable stations, satellite radio, websites, online publications, and all the rest, and everybody needs content. That vacuum is going to fill with something. But as I tried to say in this post, some of what it fills with is excellent. And in fact, there’s more excellence now than there was before; it’s just that we have to sift through that much more junk to find it. So I’m making a conscious effort to ignore what I don’t like and focus on what I do like. This requires pretty much of a complete personality makeover for me, but I’m trying.
Thank you, again, for the kind words. I know you’re on vacation right now, and I hope you’re having a wonderful time. But I’ll continue to check in on both of your blogs every day or so to see what you’re up to — and to soak up more of that free wisdom you dispense.
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heidit
July 19, 2010
You know, for so long I have been trying to convince people to use the word “wisdom” to describe the information I give out, but nobody here seems to be buying that. I keep telling them that I’m quite wise, but I don’t think they believe me, mainly because they roll their eyes and scoff. From now on, I’m sending them here, to read what you have to say about me. That’ll show ’em.
I have a lot of trouble watching the news and I agree it has to do with us having news 24 hours a day on some channels and 30 hours a day on others. There just isn’t that much news to go around. Every time I try to watch, though, some anchorperson describes a murder as brutal or a death as tragic or a reporter asks the victim of a dead family member how she feels and I lose my mind. Then everyone else in the room gets annoyed with me. I used to watch the CBC but it’s not the same quality it used to be, unfortunately (I’ve heard rumours about the reasons for the decline in its quality, but haven’t substantiated them).
Unfortunately, I’m not on vacation yet. I’m still slogging through the work to get to my time off. I’ll do my best to be wise, though. I may actually put some of your quotes about me on a business card…
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bronxboy55
July 19, 2010
You’re probably bothered by things other people don’t even notice. Everyone in the room gets annoyed with me, too. Maybe we should start a club. (We could call it the Order of the Wise, or something, although that might be pushing it.)
Good luck with the slogging. Hope to hear from you in Hawaii soon.
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cooperstownersincanada
July 17, 2010
I’m honored to be part of your list. I’m a huge fan of your blog as well. I also just ordered one of your books which I can’t wait to receive. It’s a privilege to share the blogosphere with you!
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bronxboy55
July 17, 2010
Thank you, Kevin. I feel the same way. And I hope you like the book.
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Mitch
July 17, 2010
Wow, thanks Charles! And look at the company I’m in; I’m going to be checking out every one of the blogs you recommended. You da man! 🙂
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bronxboy55
July 18, 2010
I should be thanking you, Mitch, and all of the others. I think this was the easiest post I’ve written so far. The challenge was trying not to say too much and keeping them all to a reasonable length. I could have written an entire post about each one. (And maybe I will.)
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Mitch
July 18, 2010
You did well with what you wrote here.
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Betty Londergan
July 17, 2010
Wow, now I’ll never get around to writing — I can’t WAIT to check out all these other blogs — and YES! i do hate that word, too. I almost always just say “my post” instead … “blog” sounds like you’re clearing something revolting up from your throat, doesn’t it?? Anyhow, can’t wait to order your book, and I’m so happy you liked mine and that you haven’t throttled your teenager yet — that’s worth $14.95!! xoxo B
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bronxboy55
July 18, 2010
You know, I don’t know where the flash of brilliance came from that afternoon when I went to the bookstore to find SOMETHING to keep me from locking our son in the closet for seven or eight years. But I remember standing there with a book in each hand, one written by some jargon fountain with a PhD and the other by a mother of actual teenagers. Your book was so real and so funny, it gave me the feeling that either (1) you had been watching us through a window and listening to our conversations or (2) our son (as well as the two daughters who preceded him) wasn’t some strange weirdo who would drive us mad for the rest of our lives, but rather a normal weirdo who was going through a temporary phase that we would all somehow survive. I’m usually not a good guesser. If I’m lost and have to turn left or right, I always go the wrong way. But that day, I picked the right book, and I continue to tell people about it. And like the rest of your blog audience, I am amazed by What Gives 365. Keep up the great work!
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Julia Harris
July 17, 2010
What a privilege to be part of this list, one of your “bluddies” (what a great term!) and part of the literary splatter on our shared blogosphere. I have found your posts to be among the most insightful and eloquent I’ve ever read, not to mention enviably hilarious. I can’t believe you’ve only been at it for two months and I am sad for all of us that you waited so long to start. You better get busy. 🙂
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bronxboy55
July 18, 2010
Thanks, Julia. I feel the same way about your writing. Every time I read one of your posts, something makes me laugh and something makes me think or feel in an unexpected way — and very often, it all happens at once. I especially enjoy the way you can suffer through a maddening experience and then later make it seem so funny — without ignoring or making light of the serious parts. You’re also great at teaching a lesson without hitting your reader over the head. I don’t even remember how I found you, but I’m glad I did.
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charlespaolino
July 18, 2010
I appreciate your comments, and I agree with your overall observations about writers. I also have been reading several of the blogs you mentioned here, and now I’ll visit the others, too. Blog on!
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bronxboy55
July 18, 2010
Actually, I found several of these writers through your blogroll. So I should thank you, not only for your posts, but for the connections, as well.
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Amiable Amiable
July 26, 2010
It’s such an honor, Bluddy, to be among these bloggers. And it’s so nice to have a day off to take my time visiting each site. (I’m so not worthy, but I thank you very much for including me and for your encouragement.) You are so insightful. I loved the way you dished the dirt on blogging. You and I are a long way from mudslinging about this sport now! We’re in deep … deep in the quicksand. But playing in this mud is so much fun!
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bronxboy55
July 26, 2010
You are also the Queen of Wordplay, which I failed to mention in the original post!
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Amiable Amiable
July 27, 2010
I am not proud of that, nor my inability to stifle a pun. Best not to mention either.
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bronxboy55
July 27, 2010
They’re part of a dying art. We need to keep it alive!
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