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The funny thing about loving reading as much as I do is when you find styles of writing you like and you want to use yourself. (It is at times like this when I am thankful that I have left things like singing and photography to the professionals - or at least to amateurs who are a lot better than me.)
If I am perfectly honest I sometimes wish I could be as sarcastic in my writing as people like David Mitchell (Guardian columnist and star of "Would I Lie To You"), Jeremey Clarkson (Top Gear presenter), or Bill Bryson (Author).
There are other times when I wish I could be as commanding as Dr Derek Lee (Clinical Psychologist), Nick Robinson and Robert Peston (BBC Journalists), or Michael Parkinson (Retired TV Chatshow Host).
When I am not wishing I could be like any of those I am probably wishing I could be as hypnotising as Steve Bowkett (ex-English Teacher, Roving Author, Runner of Writing Workshops), Sir Jackie Stewart (Retired Formula 1 Racing Driver), or Kristyna Myles (Singer Songwriter) - if anyone told me I was anywhere near as good as those last three I would be very happy indeed.
However, I realise I am just me. Quirky, strange, weird, odd, whatever you want to call me.
I seem to have collected a few fans as a result of writing this blog - I am also finding that friends are actually admitting to liking my writing (or rather - ramblings) when they talk to me face to face.
Last night one of my friends said something interesting to me. I had asked Julie (who I had met through Kristyna Myles) if my writing was anywhere near as good as Kristyna's - she replied with "Of course it is - it's just a different talent". Put it this way - Julie happens to be the biggest fan of Kristyna I have ever had the pleasure of talking to.
You may have noticed that I have a habit of putting my own spin on things I read or hear about. (Sorry - I cannot do straight "Newsreader" blogposts - especially if they are on a subject which either affects me directly or I am passionate about.)
Any other blogpost is usually dug up from the realms and recesses of my brain. Unless - that is I am writing about things like bad parking, etc, which affect us all. The only thing is it may affect me more than or in a different way to everybody else.
If I have to be totally honest the blog posts I really love writing are the ones where I feel I am contributing something to someone else's existence. These are usually the "Reviews" or the blogposts where I introduce you to someone whose work I admire for whatever reason. At least then the spotlight is on someone else.
You may not realise this but my biggest critic is sitting on this side of the keyboard typing - me. I may ask a few well-chosen friends/fans/readers for their opinion but mostly I am the one trying to tread a fine line between writing for me and remembering there are actual real live humans out there who appear to like reading my ramblings. There are some posts I have wanted to write and had a total rethink about them because they were not "appropriate for a public audience" - usually because there are times when even I cannot put a nice, polished, spin on my thoughts, or when they were meant as daggers for one particular person, or even when the "sarcasm rating" would be off the scale (and - believe me - I can be cuttingly sarcastic when I want to be).
Never believe someone when they tell you that blogging is easy. It is easy when it comes to sitting behind a keyboard and a screen and typing your guts out. The difficult bit (at least for me) is trying to let go of it when I have done it - Have I offended anyone? Does it read like a lecture? Does it make sense to anybody apart from me?, etc.
The biggest shock I have ever had was when someone I went to school with told me that they found my blog both educational and entertaining - so much so that they got their youngest daughter to read it. Quite where the education comes into it I am not entirely sure??? I just write about what interests, annoys, amuses, and inspires me.
As long as I can help you see the world a bit differently to how you are used to seeing it that is all that really matters to me.
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