Writing In & For Digital Environments

One of the least known facts about me is that I love change. I can’t exactly explain why it is that I love change, but I find myself actively searching for it in every aspect of my life. I am happiest when a new year rolls around, the leaves start to fall, and even just when a new day begins. This attraction to change may have started when I was young, but as I grew up moving from state to state, boarding school to college, and traveling the world from Korea to Italy to Australia, I knew that change was in my nature.

This concept of change might seem broad and arbitrary to some, but it is one that I intend to incorporate into every aspect of my blog. I find myself constantly searching the web for fresh ideas and content of music, current events, fashion, or random articles that make me laugh on a dreary Monday morning. My thought idea now is to pull everything from social media, politics, entertainment and more into one blog that summarizes the changes going on the in world, and how it applies to us as college students, some (like myself) that are about to go through an extreme life-changing moment…graduation.

As an Environmental Studies major and an enthusiast of change, it might come as no surprise that when people ask me what I plan to do after graduation, I simply say that I want to change the world. This might sound extreme, but I truly believe that my generation will have a huge role in changing policies, media, and our perspective on real world issues. Though I intend to post almost every day on different topics, I would like to have a day of the week where I dedicate my posts to a movement of change, whether it be environmental, political, or social movements. I want my blog to be equal parts fun and inspiring, so that people will want to make changes in their own lives long after they finish reading my blog.

Some sweet blogs that are my inspiration for this project:

Fat Mum Slim. http://fatmumslim.com.au. 2013. Web. 15 Sep. 2013

Fat Mum Slim writes about her experiences as a mother who is constantly moving around and trying new things. Her layout is fresh and fun and very user friendly. She writes about almost everything, which gives her blog a great deal of variety. I want to have a similar layout for my blog.

Wattsupwithtthat. http://wattsupwiththat.com. 2013. Web. 15 Sep. 2013.

This blog makes good use of information on environmental matters and climate change. It is the most read environmental blog in the world, so it is clearly very successful at taking information and reaching a large audience. I want to follow their style of writing and make mine as equally informative.

When I declared as an American Studies major, my advisor told me that no one would ever want to watch a movie with me again – and he was right. As an American Studies and English double major, I am constantly reading and analyzing texts; it is nearly impossible for me to watch a movie or a TV show, or read a book without getting antsy about constructions of gender and race, identity, power structures, etc. (much to the annoyance of my fellow movie-watcher). However, when it came time to seriously consider what I wanted my blog to be about, I was at a total loss; I wanted to write about something that I am passionate about and something that excites me, but nothing was really jumping out at me. After meeting with Professor Kersh and writing down different recreational and academic interests that I have, an idea for a blog began to take shape.

Although I am still considering exactly what I want to do with my blog, I plan to review books, movies, and TV shows. Though these posts will be conversational, I plan to review whatever I read or watch with a critical lens. I’m particularly interested in constructions of identity in popular culture, especially the identity of young women, and the messages we’re receiving through the media. There is so much more to everything that we read and watch, and I’d like to open up a conversation about it. I plan to post at least once a week, and hope to incorporate some of the texts that I am looking at in my classes, as well as what I read and watch for leisure. I would like the layout to be clean and easily navigable, but I also hope it can be a fun atmosphere.

I foresee two primary challenges with this blog. First, I’m concerned about the voice. I need to be conscious of not writing too analytically, as I am accustomed to doing for my classes. Further, while writing articles for The Square, I typically use sarcasm – a style that I do not think would necessarily be appropriate for this subject. So, I’ll have to work to create a balance between these two writing styles, and create a conversational space. My other concern is that I am worried that the blog will seem random and scattered. However, if I chose a particular lens to analyze these texts, this shouldn’t be a problem.

To get a better idea of how to address my concerns about voice, I looked at a blog called The Bloggess . I like that her writing style witty and humorous and that the way she provides commentary on everyday things makes them funny and relatable to other people. What I particularly admire about The Bloggess is that while reading her blog, it really feels as though she is speaking to the reader, rather than at him/her. Her posts are conversational, sometimes informative, and most importantly read like a conversation you would have with your best friend.

Bitch Flicks is a blog that reviews films and TV shows through a feminist lens. This blog is an excellent resource for learning to understand the balance between conversational and analytical writing. It is also a useful example of how I could organize my own blog; Bitch Flicks organizes their reviews in movies, TV shows, and themes, sometimes even just making lists. This layout is comprehensible and engaging. Further, to quell my fears about the randomness of my own blog, Bitch Flicks reviews movies old and new.

This is a blog for those who don’t know what to do. This is a blog for those who don’t have every second of every day planned out with things they know they should do. This blog is for people like me. Therefore, it is a different type of creating writing space, one of self-discovery for me and hopefully,the readers.

To this effect, my blog will partly detail my discovery of writing and provide exercises, forums and spaces to invite others to discover their passions. In the theme of sorting out my own passions, the blog and its sections will be marked by speech and context related to law:

•  The “evidence” section, would be more like my open journal and would detail the clues I found in realizing my chosen career path.
• The “motion” section would be a forum to call attention to a particularly interesting, positive and charging event/issue that would spark writing/commentary and allow a space for creative reflection.
• An “objection” section would be a place where individuals could post about things that give them pause; a place for constructive,but creative disagreement. In either section, all different media types can be discussed and used as a medium.
• An “exercise” section would be full of prompts and exercises to get individuals to think about writing, regardless of the topic, and how to organize these thoughts into finding out what one’s passions are.

Although I’m sure the blog will have more sections, the overall purpose is to get individuals to think about what they are interested in and passionate about and maybe even help a few also discover that creative writing is what they have always wanted to do.

Morales, Ollin. Web log. Courage 2 Create. WordPress, 2010. Web. 14 Sept. 2013. <http://ollinmorales.com/start/>.

Courage 2 Create is a blog by Ollin Morales, an aspiring fiction writer. This blog details the journey of the author in writing and publishing his first book while offering advice and support for others looking to do the same. This website is particularly helpful as a source for crafting my own blog because its format and tone lend itself to a unique voice; this is exactly what I am seeking to create. The highly personal nature of the blog allows for great interaction with the audience and a sense of connection with the author/blogger. Furthermore, the strong voice of the blog along with regular updates and easy navigation only add to the authenticity of the source and build a sense of trust with its audience. These elements are especially important to Brian Carroll, a fellow writer, who understands the need for a credible relationship between the writer (blogger) and audience. Not only is Courage 2 Create aesthetically pleasing but it displays the power a single voice can have in building a unique and successful blog.

Rubin, Gretchen. Web log.The Happiness Project. N.p., 2012. Web. 14 Sept. 2013. <http://www.happiness-project.com/>.

The Happiness Project details the journey Gretchen Rubin took to bring herself happiness. She also offers tips, exercises, and daily motivations to help followers create their own happiness projects. This self- help blog is a great source for molding and generating my own creative writing space which is also aimed at self discovery and exploration, especially through prompts and exercises. Furthermore, there is a developed and credible voice due to the nature of the project, the personality in the asthetic design of the blog, regular updates and connection with audience. All of these elements add to the success of the blog but also provide a precursor for action outside of the blog itself. Like authors Rossenwater and Stephen explain, writing well develops opportunities for thinking well. Due to the thoughtful and well- designed nature of the blog and its writing, it is no surprise that The Happiness Project encourages further thinking and action outside of the internet. This truly gives the blog its success and makes it a wonderful source for a blog of my own.

Dance has been a part of my life since I was five years old. So naturally dance is the subject for my blog, but there are many more aspects to dance than just the professional point of view. I aim to express my point of view as a dancer in tap, jazz, modern, and ballet, but also my observations in other aspects that apply to dance such as diet, history, culture, performance, and more. With my audience I hope to include dancers, those interested in dance, and those who have never had experiences with dance. I would like to create a dance blog that explores how dance affects lives in this community and the global community, but also explores dance aspects in places other than the studio.

“Dancing Branflakes: Writing.” Dancing Branflakes: Writing. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Sept. 2013. .

Dancing Branflakes is a blog written by a BYU dance major alum who is now a university professor in California.She is an avid writer, hoping to publish a novel, and her love of food is prevalent in the many recipes, health tips, and body image advice she offers. Love is a large influence in her life so she shares about her loving relationships with her family, friends, and husband. The blog explores how dance has infiltrated every aspect of her life. Her writing perspective is very positive and uplifting. After every post she encourages audience involvement with an open-ended question to be commented on. The blog’s layout is straight forward, with organized tabs at the top and an archive of post on the side.The website also includes many pictures to break up the text and there are hyperlinks to offer further information. She also has the option to share the blog and get more involved with the blog on twitter and Facebook.

Jess. “BODIES NEVER LIE.” BODIES NEVER LIE. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Sept. 2013. .

Bodies Never Lie is a blog written by Jess, a ballet dancer who received a BA in Dance Pedagogy from Butler University. As a performer, teacher, and writer, Jess’s three main aims for her blog are “education, inspiration, and entertainment”. She educates about dance history such as figures, ideas, and pieces of work, but she also uses her experiences as a learning opportunity. Inspiration comes from anywhere such as performances, artwork, fashion, videos, and ideas. She entertains her audience through humorous stories and a sarcastic commentary. Jess offers various opportunities for the reader to get involved in dance from her “Hire a Choreographer” and “Learn to Dance” tabs. Audience involvement is also encouraged by Jess through her comments sections after each post and her contact information. The sites home page title, tag line, and picture are in black and white and the sites layout is simple. The layout has a few tabs at the top and the center is divided into articles and photos. Jess offers further exploration on dance and blogs through sharing links and information on other blogs she follows.

I have been thinking of a blog project idea for about two weeks now taking into consideration my interests, skills, and weaknesses. I think that the idea I am into most is one where the blog would be called “cup of who?”. I love coffee and many of my family friends know this! Each post written will be done so with a cup of coffee, preferably at a different place each time. I also love people, and as a psychology major I love observing them. I do not always use the most scientific ways of observation, but I find myself constantly observing. The blog will look into the people around me or having a conversation with them and retelling it. If I am about others on a given day then the blog will be about myself.

I am not sure exactly what I would say about myself but I do know I want to use an informal tone and keep writing to a medium amount. As Carroll said, “online readers do not like to read long columns of text unless the content is extremely compelling” (155).  My audience could be anyone who wants to read something light, catch a quick story, or know where to get a good (or bad) cup of coffee. My friends have always told me I can read people well and I have great stories to tell and these are things I want to share. Although, in each post I will try to pose an interesting topic or question to leave the reader with so they come back to read more and create a community. I hope to post a minimum of twice a week especially because of the tip given by Carroll, “three hallmarks of most good blogs: First, they are updated frequently..” (154).

I am hoping that I can make the layout of my blog somewhat urban and minimalist looking. In addition, I would like to use a clean white background with medium size font, but perhaps have a small icon that moves with the page. I would also like to post a picture of each coffee I get and under it have to location and what was ordered. If the coffee order was done with specific reason that will be explained. As we have talked about in class, blogs create connection between the writer and readers. Because of this I would like to have a medium size bibliography about why I started this particular blog and include humor.

That is one challenge that I expect to face. I am actually majorly sarcastic and thought originally I wanted to create funny blog that included my sarcasm. Fo my first blog ever I do not think that route is in my best interest, but a challenge may be incorporating that humor in a simple blog. I hope that by reading writing for digital media and revising that I can remember to fit in my true sarcastic tone to a certain degree. Hopefully my mix of observations and tone will help me to build a community because, “readers become active partners rather than passive consumers.”

Some blogs like mine include: www.purecoffeeblog.com, dailyshotofcoffee.com, and baristamagazine.com/blog/. These blogs do differ from mine though because they talk more about the origin of the coffee they are drinking, rather connecting it to life.