Lifewriting Online: Blogging for the Faint of Heart

 

During January, we’re featuring posts by some of the presenters for our upcoming conference, Stories from the Heart V. This will give you some idea of the kinds of exciting workshops, panels, and other programs available at the conference.

This post features Katherine Misgades, experienced blogger and blogging instructor. Her presentation is called Lifewriting Online: Blogging for the Faint of Heart. Here’s what she says about it: “If you’re thinking of starting a blog, this is the workshop for you. We will demystify the technical processes of setting up and maintaining a basic blog. Beginning bloggers will learn how to personalize their blogs, compile and share their public thoughts, and make use of other media on their blogs.”

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Instead of looking at life as a narrowing funnel,

we can see it ever widening

to choose the things we want to do,

to take the wisdom we’ve learned

and create something.

[Liz Carpenter]

The main thing I like about authoring blogs is the readers. On one of my blogs, “Knitting, writing and other joys,” I have a widget that tracks the location of the people who come to that blog. Every time I look at it, I see visitors from every state as well as countries everywhere. This not only warms my heart, it gives me pause. It constantly reminds me that the content and quality of my blog can have a far-reaching influence and effect. Also, many of my readers write to me–some write often enough that they have become friends although I’ve never met them. 

I currently have six blogs on two blog services in addition to a traditional website. (It makes me giggle to use the word traditional with the word website since the web hasn’t been around very long.) Each blog has a different purpose. For example, “Graphic Design Notes”  is an online portfolio for my work. “Mama’s Stories”  is a memoir site about my mama. I have a blog for experimenting with content and media and one that I use when I facilitate the SCN online course, “Beginning Blogging.” 

If you’re thinking of starting a blog, Lifewriting Online: Blogging for the Faint of Heart is the workshop for you. We will demystify the technical processes of setting up and maintaining a basic blog. Beginning bloggers will learn how to personalize their blogs, compile and share their public thoughts, and make use of other media on their blogs. 

If you can compose and send an email or use a word-processing program, you already have the skills to write posts on a blog. My hope is that this workshop will give you an, “Oh, I see. I can do that…” experience when it comes to blogging. 

Cumulative Effect

What we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday,
and our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow:
Our life is the creation of our mind.
[Buddha]

Mama knit lace for close to ninety years. Whenever someone asked how she produced such intricate work, she'd answer, "One stitch at a time." Actually, anyone who can work a knit stitch, can produce the same results one stitch at a time.

I had an instructor in college who taught the same way. He presented bits of information in such small, logical steps that they accumulated into a sound body of knowledge and skills by the end of the course. I was amazed at how much and how painlessly I'd learned.

So it is with maintaining a blog. Post by post, comment by comment, revision by revision, link by link it grows. Over time, a body of writing accumulates. For me, this is a dynamic method of keeping a public journal. First, I enjoy the dialog with people who leave comments. There have been times when we have lent each other a measure of support even though we don't know each other except through what we write. Also, I like imagining that I have someone to address when I write a post. I polish my prose and check my spelling—like combing my hair and putting on lipstick before going to market. And, I like being able to look back to see how I perceived life a year or two ago.

Most of all, I think a record of little things is important down the line in time. I've been reading Ernie Pyle's last book, The Last Chapter. It is not touted to be his best reporting but it has struck me as being important. I think about how many names, dates and places I know about in the history of World War II. The Last Chapter lends another understanding. It includes the little, day to day things that put a human face on history.  This helps a student of history understand why things were the way they were.