“New Thinking: Everyone is a publisher myth”
Gerry McGovern; February 09, 1998. (http://www.gerrymcgovern.com/nt/1998/nt_1998_02_09_everyone_publisher.htm - last accessed 05/01/2006.)

It’s been many years since Deepak Mankar, of the Hindustan Times, referred to me as a “veteran blogger.” Back then, I really had no clue what a blog was; neither did anyone else, apparently. But somewhere online, I’d posted some reasonably lucid definition of a blog (which I cannot now recall to save my life), and next thing you know, I’ve got my fifteen minutes of fame - in India, at least, as a “veteran blogger.” Google “what is a blog” today, and you’ll find 1,240,000 hits. Everyone’s a veteran blogger, these days.

To be honest, I’m still not sure why we’re all being tempted, nay, urged to blog. I suspect there’s some dark cabal of psychologists working behind the scenes to see if mass hypergraphia can be induced. The more I think about it, the less I have to say. More disturbingly, having nothing to say hasn’t stopped me or anyone else from blogging. Say nothing - but say it with passion. Be bold. That seems to be the key to blogging success.

Cynicism aside, there are good reasons to start a blog, and Writing.com is a gentler, kinder place to do it than most. For one thing, you can limit your readership to, say, fifty thousand readers instead of fifty million. Dip your toe in the waters, so to speak. Random comments on your blog from a potential pool of fifty million readers can be intimidating - even frightening. (The worst one I’ve gotten was an anonymous pot-shot that went something along the lines of “Stop now. Just stop. This is the most boring crap I’ve read on the Internet.” The dreaded drive-by yawning.) Just remember: If you’re feeling a little stage fright at the thought of writing for an audience of fifty million, your readers are probably feeling a little shy about leaving comments. And most are thoughtful, courteous people.

The ability to communicate clearly, in writing, is an essential skill, not just for writers. Practice is the only way to improve a skill, and blogging is good practice. I find that by keeping a blog, I begin to feel accountable to the handful of regular readers I pick up along the way; their feedback encourages me to continue. Or goads me into retaliating with another post. Or something.

Blogging helps to clarify and focus thoughts, feelings, and opinions. Readers often hone in on what’s said between the lines, causing me to delve deeper - questions lead to more questions, and eventually to answers.

Blogging is an interesting way to meet people you might otherwise never encounter. People from all over the world, whose experiences have led to viewpoints different from your own. Besides expanding your mind, it’s always good to have friends in far-flung places. You never know when you, yourself, might be flung afar and need a friend.

People come up with all sorts of interesting excuses not to do things. Blogging is no exception. “I've talked with a lot of people who are reluctant to write blogs,” writes Steve Yegge, formerly with Amazon, who’s been blogging since 2004. “Everyone offers pretty much the same reasons: they're too busy, or they're afraid to put something on ‘permanent public record’, or they think nobody will read their blog, or they think blogging is narcissistic. Or they're worried that they either don't have anything good to say, or they won't say it very well.” His article, “You Should Write Blogs,” (http://www.cabochon.com/~stevey/blog-rants/why-you-should-blog.html) offers convincing arguments to dispel these myths and encourage everyone to try blogging.

Many bloggers are also what’s known as “citizen journalists.” Citizen journalists are ordinary people - not trained journalists - who collect and disseminate news and information. Citizen journalists, also known as “participatory journalists,” provide diversity and give us a fresh look at the world around us. It’s often just a matter of being in the right place - or the wrong one - at the right time. Got a camera phone? So much the better. Fantasizing about Katie Couric’s salary? Forgettaboutit.

From the Site Navigation drop-down menu, select Site Tools > Create an Item.

Click Book.

Under Item Type: Book: choose Journal/Blog.

Come up with a catchy title and description for your blog. Make it enticing if you want to draw readers in. Don’t be shy!

Choose your content rating carefully.

Consider who you want to have access to your blog. The whole world? Under Access Restrictions, choose Make Public, Allow EVERYONE! If you’d prefer to restrict it to members of Writing.com (and keep it from being listed and cached by the major search engines), choose - at minimum - Registered Users and Higher.

Select up to three genres under which to list your blog, then enter as many relevant keywords as you can think of and fit into the keywords box. (Think of words you might find in a book index that would logically lead a reader to your blog, if it were a chapter in the book. Consider common synonyms, as well.)

Think of Item Body as a longer, more detailed description of your blog. What’s your main purpose in writing a blog? What kinds of topics is a reader likely to find here? Who do you think this blog will appeal to most? Think of the back cover blurb on a bestselling book. Write one for your blog here.

Now comes the fun part - writing your entries. Just click Add a New Entry, give it a title, decide whether to make it Public (the overall access restrictions set on your blog will override this, if it’s less than Public), and… You’re on your own here. But send me a link to your blog and I might feature it in an upcoming issue.

merlin writes:

Good advice on the proofing, another sheet to keep & stick on the wall at eye level.

Wyvernz

Johnny_mac writes:

Your ideas on 'Grammer and Spelling' checks are fine and good examples, as long as you know what it is you are looking for in the first place. Grammer eludes me, as I am grammaticly challenged. Left school at 14 and haven't been back since. I am now 67!

Good work in any case:
You know I’ve never let you lean on age or truncated education as an excuse, johnny_mac - you’ve known that since the first time I sent you a review, and nothing’s changed in - how many years has it been?. I have far too much respect for my elders to let them off on a “can’t teach old dogs new tricks” plea. You wrote that knowing you wouldn’t get much sympathy from me, didn’t you?

Erik Stark writes:

Loved the Flannery O'Conner quote! Thanks for a great newsletter

sometimes she writes writes:

Your tips on proofreading are great! I find that I must print a hard copy if I'm going to give something a good read. And colored ink is also a must - it certainly makes it easier to see the changes I need to make! I'll have to try your other tips on my next big project!

amaiyaamir writes:

this newsletter was extremely helpful. Thanks.

demor writes:

Your advice to let your work rest for a while before proofreading is absolutely true. Time allows your pride of authorship to dull a little and you can become more critical.

Vivian writes:

Jessie, I don't often reply to your newsletter, but it's not because I'm not reading or agreeing, because I do read and usually agree completely. You have a good grasp of what is needed for a person to become a better writer.

hdelphyne writes:

A good editorial on editing. Thank you for pointing out a good selection of "tools"

cursorblock writes:

Excellent proofing tips! I often find myself so close to my stuff that I can never find all the errors. These tips should help me greatly. Thanks.

PlannerDan writes:

I read all of the newsletters on WDC the same as a traditional newspaper, at my leisure. I read through them nodding my head and smiling...mostly. Occasionally I jot a comment back to the editor. I am pleased to find talented editors in all of them. It appears a few of them are struggling. But, you my dear Jessie are different. I find I often save your newsletters, printing them out and securing them in a file folder for later use. You have helped me untold times, and I applaud your efforts. Thanks, Jessie.

schipperke writes:

Thank you for this newsletter, Jessie. I will use the backward reading technique next time I edit my work.

Hope that one works better for you than it does for me! I know most who’ve tried it swear by it, since it distracts you from thinking about the content and forces you to focus on the mechanics. It can be very effective; I just find it a little tedious, especially on longer works.

karabu writes:

I have a problem with mispelling words so that they turn into a different word, (loose for lose and so forth) and my spell checker can't catch these mistakes. I think your tips will help me find those types of mistakes. Thanks for the help!

cwiz writes:

A proof-reading tip you missed:

When proofing an item on the computer, make the font huge. It's much eaiser not to get involved in just reading that way, and actualy see the mistakes.

newmeadowuno writes:

Hi Jessie,

Great tips for proofreading. One to add to your list: after you post an item (whether it's here at writing.com or on your Web site), edit again--then re-post. I still find errors after rigorous editing in Word and on hard copy.

Oh, yes - absolutely. In fact, I just had to do that with this newsletter… I have seen things posted here where it’s obvious the author never went back to look at the finished item - they would never have left the glaring errors there. Not looking at what you’ve posted, and revising it if necessary, is like leaving the house in the morning without glancing - just once - in the mirror.