Monday, March 29, 2004

Why write in this weblog? There are so many blogs out there now. When I began this thing back in 2001, all one had to do was write most every day and the hits would roll right in. There wasn't a huge mass out there mashing away at the keys about everything from politics to solipsistic meanderings to shopping tallies. The numbers of people making weblogs has exploded, and if you are reading this, you are probably well aware of said explosion. The readers have a huge selection to choose from now, and the hits are harder to come by. Sometimes the only figurative sound around this blog is the sound of crickets and listless electrons.

My own daily grind involves reading a steady stream of high school writing, editing it and reading it again as it comes back. I feel that writing is hugely important to the human condition, as it enables the soul to find a voice and to process the inner monologue into a sort of dialogue that can make adjustments to course as that dialogue progresses.

I am getting to the point of being able to teach my own kids about the beauty and importance of writing. My nine year old is reading a novel every three or four days now, and writes better than most of my first-year students. It's amazing what a mind can do when passion takes hold. I hope I never really have to teach any of my kids that beauty, if Bryn is any indicator, they will find that themselves and I can just sit back and give technical pointers.

As for my web-writing, I enjoy the occasional response I get from this blog, but it provides more of a place to put my thoughts and hopes for the world. There is a self-generated responsibility to write and express my heart, if only a little each day, so that my own inner dialogue stays that way and doesn't digress into a monologue to stagnate and vortex into true solipsism. I don't reckon that would be a good situation, and I can't imagine my dear wife letting me degenerate so. She's too fun to talk to, anyway.

At any rate, I know not many see this thing, and that isn't likely to change. I see it as my door to the greater world. I'm glad to welcome those who see fit to enter, and look forward to furthering this inner dialogue toward a discourse between us, whatever we see out there in the world worthy of discussion.

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