I’ve had fun constructing this blog and writing my first posts. So much so, that it has diverted me from my writing! Well perhaps not, since blogging is writing. Publishing a good post is a rush comparable to nailing a difficult section of one’s novel. But alas, even a snappy and humorous post about today’s political clown is just a word bite that will quickly go stale, leaving me no closer to my goals as a writer.
When you read most personal blogs, the author’s philosophy and world view is evident. Some are more in-your-face than others, but we all do it. Otherwise, it would just be repeating news that we got from some other reporter: what’s the point in that? When I wrote about Paul Ryan (Paul who?), it was as much about what I think as about what he said.
People who share my world view may like such a post. People who fall elsewhere on the politico-religious spectrum may not. Hopefully they won’t leave, because my goal as a blogger is to entertain and inform. A good blog can give the reader insights into topics that they would normally skip over, just as a good book can take the reader on a journey they would not otherwise embark on.
I started this blog as the third leg of my writing tripod: poet, novelist and blogger. Even if I had my dream attic in a turret overlooking the ocean, I would still seek a day-to-day audience and I would still want contact with fellow authors. I’m not sure whether writing about news and politics is an effective way to reach either, but it keeps the pencil sharp and I hope it will widen the potential reach of this blog beyond the writing community.
The site log for www.kenturner.net shows only a few visitors, but it’s a beginning. Before you can drive, you have to start the car. If you are reading this and you are neither a search engine nor my editor, it would be great to hear what you think. You can respond publicly by posting a reply. If you just want to tell me to BLOG OFF, you can email me at ken@kenturner.net.