That Could Be A Little Discouraging
Adam: “No matter how I tweak, twiddle, and transpose the words I can’t seem to find a series of letters and spaces which evokes the sensation. It is possible that I am just over-thinking the issue, or that I am simply gun-shy about failing to communicate — after all, what can be amazing, moving music for one person is simply worthless noise for another. Maybe when I read the powerful prose turned out by other bloggers, I see that I am still using the McDonald’s HappyMeal™ 8-color package of crayons while they are painting with oils. Maybe, just maybe, that could be a little discouraging.”
There are bloggers that have excellent writing on their weblogs but which I don't read specifically because of their excellence: it can feel intimidating to read them. The really great bloggers don't just redistribute by linking and summarizing but generate content worthy of discussion, consumption and, most importantly, use in terms of sparking creativity in others. And some feature beautiful writing just for the sake of featuring beautiful writing. The line between intimidation and inspiration, of course, is thin: some weblogs with excellent writing don't make me think that I suck in comparison, but the ones I stopped reading do. Or did: there's no way of knowing anymore, is there?
This speaks to a larger issue—creating vs. consuming and the values society places on both—and, like Adam, I don't yet have the words to express my thoughts on that larger issue. Or at least I can't—yet—put the right ones in the right order.
