If someone mentioned blogging to me a couple years ago, I would have pictured  someone living in a little New York apartment, sitting down with a cup of black coffee every morning to write about the philosophical issues of modern society; someone with their life together, you know?  I have learned that blogging is not only for this person, but in fact, for the complete opposite as well.  Blogging helps you to realize that you indeed do not have your life together whatsoever.

I started blogging when I realized no one actually listened or cared as much as I would hope when I spoke about the issues on my heart. Why would they? For what is on my heart is fortunately not the same thing that is on theirs. Blogging is the perfect way to talk to yourself and seem perfectly sane. I can ramble on about whatever my heart desires loud enough for the entire world to hear, and who will interupt me?  If someone is interested in what you have to say, they tune in.  Your audience chooses you.

Blogging has allowed me to write about whatever I want.  I can take away the filter, and the outline, and the five paragraph format.  I can simply write how I feel and use the words I want.   If I have an idea, or a passion I am interested in writing about, I run with it. Usually by the end of the final edit, the original idea has been molded and twisted into a completely different, deeper idea. This process takes me away from the tedious ways I have been taught that hindered my creativity over the years. The conventional essay prompt eliminates the possibility of tangents and new findings within the process itself. I found myself getting frustrated with the basic writing format taught in schools.  That of which is supposed to be an expedient, is now a hindrance.

If I find myself stuck on a thought, I type it into an ongoing list of blog entry topics on my phone to pick back up later.  Sometimes, my thoughts get so out there that I do not remember what I meant by them.  For example, I once had a title on my list called, “I Can See My Nose,” and I do not remember what I meant by that.  Currently, I have a list of about five topics, including, “Which John Green novel is my life?”, “Nicolas Cage, comic sans, and other things of evil”, and “The world is so big and I have so much to do.”

Mr. Tonsoni has each of his students blog for Econ and US History.  “I see ideas in blogs that I probably wouldn’t get in regular assignments.  I am still in the early stages, but my plan is to foster great thinking.” Since I have started blogging for his class, I have also started my own personal blog (which is linked to the Parnassus homepage),  I have noticed that I have grown in other areas of my education.  I am better at organizing my thoughts, expressing my opinions, thinking more creatively.  As I have tried it and found it effective, I suggest it to you.