FINDING YOUR BLOG VOICE 2: JUST TRY IT

Blogson That 1 Guy of Drunken Wisdom recently accepted the challenge of writing a 1000 word story based on a short plot summary.

I was floored by the result.

Tense, gripping, and totally unexpected. The man has a talent for story-writing that you wouldn't expect from reading his shorter daily musings. I think he should investigate this aspect of himself further.

Which brings me to an important point about blogging - try new things.

When I first started blogging, I didn't know what I was capable of. All I knew for sure was that I had a good vocabulary, could turn the occasional phrase, and could sometimes find an angle on a story that other people overlooked. But in my head, I figured that all I could really offer was a little commentary.

After a few months, though, I stumbled across the IMAO Permalink Contest, and I found an excuse to try something new: making stuff up with no factual basis whatsoever.

The idea was that you were given a question and you had to answer it as entertainingly as possible in 200 words or less.

So I gave it a try.

Did pretty well with it. Came in second in a field of over 30.

After the contest ended, I kept experimenting with the "200 words or less" format, tryiing to create little funny bits. This was a stretch for me, since I never considered myself a comedy writer, but I figured "it's only blogging - I've got nothing to lose here."

Eventually I got better at the technique and comfortable enough with the process to abandon the limitation of the 200 word barrier.

I also branched out into other styles - top 10 lists, skit dialogue, captioning, some photoshopping... stuff I never would've dreamed of trying in the Spring of 2003.

Recently I've tried my hand at Scrappleface-style news-story satire. Mixed results so far, but I'm still tryiing to get the hang of the form. It's harder than the pros make it look, but I'm learning.

And in the last few weeks, I've even branched out into podcasting. When Scott (one of the IMAO editorial staff) first suggested it, I was dubious at best. I'm a BLOGGER, not Rush-freakin'-Limbaugh! As I mentioned in the IMAO discussion board

"Speaking strictly for myself, I'm a writer, not a speaker. Impromptu ad-libbing is NOT my strong suit. Not saying "no", just saying I'm handicapped in that area... Or at least not currently aware of having any talent for that sort of thing."

But then I thought back to when I started writing funny bits and decided I should at least give it a try - maybe I'd find another undiscovered talent.

Well, the jury's still out, but what little feedback I've gotten has been positive. Some folks even say I have a good voice for radio. I'll keep at it and see where it goes.

The point, however, is this: don't be afraid to try something new and experiment on your blog. Post a fictional story. Do a serious journalistic news report. Try a song parody. Make a Top Ten list. Write a screenplay. Blogging is an excellent medium for personal growth. Take chances.

If you're nervous at the prospect, try self-imposing a word-limit. I found that keeping it under 200 words at first helped me keep the writing focused. It also helped lower my expectations ("Yeah, it's not very good, but it's only 200 words, so you can't expect it to be all THAT great").

If there's something you like reading on other blogs that appeals to you, TRY IT, even if you don't think you can do it well. The fact is that before you can get good at doing something, you have to do it badly 10 times first. Might as well start getting them out of the way.

Go for it.

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