Can blogs be trusted?

Maggie of Maggiereads posed this question recently and it got me thinking. Here's my two cents:

I began my blog in hopes of curing my writer's block. I wanted to give myself an outlet for thinking and writing about books other than those that I have to read for my research(regardless of how interesting they may be). This seems to open the floodgates for me and get the creative juices flowing, for as a fellow blogger commented on her post, it's a purge to write a book review.

I am convinced that it is important not only to read and write, but to read and write about a variety of things. Book blogs create a dialogue that allows us to contemplate and comment on others' thoughts, encouraging us to broaden our reading horizons. Wouldn't it be hypocritical of me to push my students to discuss literature if I didn't engage in a bit of discussion myself?

When reading a blog, we simply need to be aware of its purpose. Maybe we are asking ourselves an ill-defined question. Instead of "can blogs be trusted," maybe we should ask: "what is the goal/purpose of this blog?"...

Maggie's goal of making us read is quite successful! Thanks to her challenge, I have discovered that I quite admire Flannery O'Connor's writing and have added another of her books to my list.

Thoughts on blogging

So, I have now been blogging for two days. I am enjoying working on it, but it is turning out so far to be an ideal procrastination tool. However, I justify this time spent by my firm belief (as of right now, at least) that this creative outlet will only help me to be more productive in my dissertation research and writing. I’m trying to finish that daunting project up this summer (let’s call it what it is: drudgery!) before teaching begins again and “free” time disappears forever. The thought process of writing & conceiving anything at all and then typing & expressing those thoughts is half the battle, isn’t it? Who knows, blogging may be the key to overcoming my writer’s block! This cartoon pretty much sums up the recent progress:
People who know about these things such as Robert Boice (Professors as Writers) and Peter Elbow (Writing without Teachers; Writing with Power) suggest daily free-writing in order to keep oneself actively writing.

There also is this book:

Another plus of blogging: writing is a very solitary activity, so blogging could be a great way for me to connect with other people. Without even getting up from my desk in my study. I can envision my husband shaking his head now. You see, the thesis has been looming over us for a while and has become a giant roadblock to the fun things in life—moving/building a house, traveling, etc.

Note to my hubby: Don’t be too hard on me! Everyone needs a little diversion. I will finish it. C’est promis!