BEGINNING AT THE END
I find that it works best if I begin a blogpost with the
conclusion already in mind.
I have been trying, as a part of this year’s Lenten
discipline, to blog more frequently. I’ve also been trying to ride my bicycle
more. I’ve done pretty well at both of these things.
Why blog for Lent?
The themes that I explore on this blog are inherently
spiritual. I write about God and the Bible and such. Beyond this, the very act
of writing is a spiritual exercise. It requires a certain openness, a certain
honesty. The truth is, I find blogging to be very satisfying, but also very
difficult.
Writing with greater frequency has helped me understand just
why I find it so difficult. There are two things I fear: being mistaken and
being taken amiss.
Avoiding mistakes involves a level of attention to detail
that is not a part of my nature. When I write these essays, I spend more time
than I like checking facts. But, if I say something like “Cyrus Scofield was a scoundrel” I want the weight of evidence on my side. I don’t mind if a reader
disagrees with my interpretation of facts, but I like to make sure my facts are
straight.
As for being taken
amiss, I know that I am responsible for what I write but not for the way
someone else reads it. Still, I often wrestle with words, striving to express
myself as clearly and unmistakably as possible.
The twin fears of being mistaken and being taken amiss lead
me to self-censor a lot. I probably discard as many words as I publish, if not
more. Blogging more often for Lent has
been an exercise in trust. It has required me to trust myself to say what I
believe clearly and courageously, to trust my readers to understand me, and to
trust the Holy Spirit to guide the whole process,
I have published a number of posts in the last few weeks that
I would not have published before. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve started
to write a post only to throw it away because I couldn’t bring it to a
satisfying end. I find that it works best if I begin a blogpost with the
conclusion already in mind.
See what I just did there?
Posts
I know who you are and I saw what you did!!!
ReplyDeleteHmmm... my perspective is that a blog by nature is more momentary. I don't see it as something to be labored over too much - it is what you are thinking, how you are feeling, how you are seeing things NOW. The fluidity is understood. I appreciate that freshness!
I don't mind shooting from the hip in comments and replies, but in my blogposts themselves, I like to have all my ducks in a line. That said, it's amazing how many typos and grammatical lapses I make!
ReplyDeletePart of the issue is that I'm writing about matters religious, and religious folk can be very dogmatic, judgmental and contentious. A difference of interpretation doesn't matter much to me, but an error of fact is like a drop of blood in shark infested waters.
Also, I need to keep my position in mind. I have to be careful not to commit heresy or say something that is, shall we say, unchristian?
Delete