No, it's not the name of an exciting new board game combining general knowledge questioning with felt-based activities*. It's more of a general feeling that my blogging activities are tending to be somewhat on the trivial and inconsequential side. Now, before I go on, I need to add that I'm acutely aware of falling into a trap which can befall many an unsuspecting blogger - that of the self-pitying whine. That really isn't the tone I'm aiming for here and feel free to inter-slap me round the chops if I do stray down that path. No, it's more reflective, in that I've recently been reading more and more blogs on this here site and there are a lot of people out there who have genuinely interesting things to say and raise some good questions that don't always have easy answers. Should I pick up my game and strive to be a better writer?
I guess the easy answer is "Yes". It's always an admirable aim. Striving for self-improvement is never a bad thing and, if the works of others encourage you to do so, then so much the better. The problem for me is that I'm a startlingly ill-informed person. I could tell you all manner of facts about old film comedians, superhero comics, stop-motion animation, Japanese monster films, foam puppetry and all manner of random randomness but basic things? Everyday finance, history and current affairs, fairly standard geographical knowledge, politics? Not a clue, squire (other than the nuggets I've picked up through numerous pub quizzes). I guess I've always found that the real world is generally an incomprehensible and scary place and prefer to escape to worlds fictional.
But, as someone who aspires to being a writer, I should be better informed. The old maxim of "write what you know" generally does hold true so, logically, the more I know, the more I should be able to write. I have recently started to try and inform myself more about the world we live in - it's not really a New Year's resolution; mainly because it's not the New Year yet but also because I don't tend to make them (why limit yourself to once a year to decide to do something to do something to make your life better?). It may yet fizzle out but here's hoping that, by this time next year, I'll know a little bit more about the things going on around me. And what more can you ask for?
Well, once again, I've meandered down to the end of a blog in a roundabout fashion without really necessarily making much of a point. But I'm beginning to think that's my signature style. I think I'll keep it. Ta ta for now.
* Although, now that I've written it down, I quite like the sound of that. Better nip off to the patent office...
8 comments:
take heart, i am ignorant of most of the goings on in the world as well. i have a basic knowledge of history that comes primarily from dramatic biopics on the history channel, absolutely no financial knowledge, geography eludes me, and politics are a completely lost cause. but you have something that is rare, the ability to coherently put your thoughts down in a way that explains to the reader what you are actually thinking. it's admirable that you are trying to improve yourself intellectually though, i'm doing the same thing. and by the way, nobody likes reading super dry "look what i know" type blogs anyways, at least i don't.
Ah, thank you! I honestly wasn't fishing for compliments but will gratefully accept any!
Yours is one of the blogs that raises interesting questions without easy answers, by the way...
I think we all struggle with feeling that our work is inconsequential--at least I know that I do and I see similar sentiments on several blogs. Sometimes we aren't the best judge of our own work, though. And the very fact that you are thinking about whether or not what you write has meaning puts you in good company. Besides, in my experience at least, the more one learns, the more one becomes aware of how little one actually knows. Some times I tell my students that the whole point of education is to make you aware of your ignorance, but they just usually look at me funny and then go back to their Blackberries.
That's for the comments, MP. Maybe my semi-ignorance is a kind of partial bliss after all.
Oh, gotta go, I'm getting call, text and email (whilst listening to a tinny mp3...)
Maybe it is a sign of genius to have so much self-doubt. At least that's what I tell myself when I have it (which is constantly).
It does help to know that I'm in such good company!
Maybe I could retitle the blog "Self-Doubting Signs Of Genius". But that doesn't rhyme as nicely...
"Self-Doubting Signs of Genius With a Penis" kind of rhymes. Lucky for you, you're a dude.
True. If I were a chick with a dick, I'd definitely have a different career...
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