Bloggers and Writing Skill

I am new to this blogging thing. I only started reading a lot of blogs after I started mine in June. But I am starting to see a pattern: It is just another form of writing, and the great blogs are written by people who know how to tell stories, who have the gift of self-understanding, who see things in a slightly different way than the rest of is, and who use the language in interesting ways. Just as great writers – and storytellers – have always done. Two of my favorites at the moment are Pamela Slim’s Escape from Cubicle Nation and Gretchen Rubin’s Happiness Project.  Both are similar in that they are using their blogs, in part, to develop a book, and both are considering paths to happiness. But what makes them both so great to read is the way they see things and lovely language they use. Take a look at Gretchen’s post on gratitude journals, how she blends evidence about their virtues (I never heard of them) with her own gratitude for not having cancer.  Or check out Pam’s post on how to introduce yourself when you are between jobs, moving from the corporate world to starting your own business – great stuff.  It is no accident that Gretchen has already cranked out multiple books and that Pam is getting such serious interest from top publishers for her book.

For me, the lesson is that writing is writing, and the great thing about blogs is that you can find your favorites, and enjoy them a little at time, and in my case, try to learn something from them about writing compelling stuff too.