The Blog-a-Thon really has done exactly what I had hoped it would, it has got me back into routine writing and forced me to be a little more disciplined and contribute something every night, usually at the same time. I had actually written 7 days straight before May, April was a pretty good month on the whole so I was getting into the swing of it but this is exactly how it was 7 years ago when I left college. I got properly into the habit of writing at the same time every night and it became quite productive, it started to make me think and that made my arguements better and I researched them more and my language and vocab. slickened up, it was a noticeable difference and one that I could feel. This time around it is starting to happen, my lucidity is improving again, I don’t feel as disjointed and I have even come up with the occasional original thought, a sure sign my brain is firing on all cylinders.

Coincidently and rather comfortingly the blog-a-thon has coincided with a period of increased exposure for the Redbaron blog, I did for a period of 6 days on the trot get over 100 visitors and the comments added by people overtook my entries. I have also had over 2000 hits in May, though this is not the be all and end all of blogging for me. I like the attention I won’t deny it, sometimes when I am feeling sardonnic I like an audience and I respond well to both praise thereof and criticism. Other times I have wanted to get something out of my system before going to bed and messages of support help, it is nice to know there is someone out there who takes the time to make a constructive comment and I have tried to give back to people insimilar situations where I could. It does signify to me the big plus point of a blogging community that people can help each other as well as have arguements and take the piss and bounce ideas off. I have enjoyed that interaction immensely. But the fundamental point for me is that I have to write, it is my stab at immortality, I don’t mean to be a famous writer tho’ that would be nice in so far as it would mean I’d be able to make a living from what I enjoy most (other than talking), but the fact that I record what I think means perhaps one of my ancestors will come one day and read about it and they will get an insight into who I was and that pleases me, furthermore I just have to do it, I have to write it is the only thing really that I ever felt that feeling of purpose doing, you know where you think -‘yeah this is right, this is me’. It is something that has made me get out of bed at night to jot things down because of its importance to me.

Funnily enough I have found after the initial week or so that far from not having enough material to keep the blog-a-thon going I have in fact started to forge ahead and built up a queue of stuff which has meant I can be anything up to 4 days behind the material I have, I’ll leave you to decide whether you can discern any difference in the quality I don’t think it has suffered at all, that’s the discipline that comes from writing regularly, when I was blogging every now and again I’d occasionally come up with something I liked but quite often I was struggling for a while or I’d be able to do a good paragraph but then would dry up. Look back through the archives if you like, there was no way I’d have been able to come up with something every night unless at least 3/7 of it had been tosh. You might say that looking thru’ the archives it looks like 3/7 was tosh but then I’ll come round your ‘owse and give you a kicking. Remember Gripper Stebson? Oh yeah, that’ll be me that will!

Original Comments:


A visitor made this comment,
writing is a stab to one’s immortality…i like how you said that.
you’re right. writing is a discipline and the way i’m seeing it, you have one great discipline going on right here. not a single entry missed. i’ve been to a point wherein loads of things are going on inside my head. i’ve been wanting to write. but not one appropriate word came out. one more of that, and that’ll be the end of me.

rayts

[Redbaron responds -Thanks for the vote of confidence rayts it is appreciated. The stage you describe is the one before things start to make sense. It would be a great deal more worrying if you didn’t have the stuff going on in your head. Keep trying and you will find that as you get going the expression becomes easier and easier. Try a Blog-a-Thon to force you to think regularly. I’ll do June with you if you like, I’m going to keep mine going as long as I can.]

comment added :: {ts ‘2004-05-25 03:33:35’} GMT+01

bluepoppy made this comment,
I’m glad to read you are making time for your own writing as well as blogging— I trust I get an autographed copy of your first book. And then we can go to the pub where I’ll let you squeeze my bicep and we can indulge in the great gender debate! *smile*
Visit me @ http://bluepoppy.omworks.com

[Redbaron responds -Everyone gets an autographed copy of my book after all I’m not likely to actually sell any!!]

comment added :: {ts ‘2004-05-25 15:23:28’} GMT+01

Katie made this comment,
If it was you wouldn’t you rather have (potentially) a couple of months of fun rather than being shot down so early on? And it’s not like he’s not getting anything out of the arrangement, he always has a good time with me and gets to look good to other people…? What do you reckon?
Visit me @ http://screamtoasigh.blog-city.com

comment added :: {ts ‘2004-05-25 18:53:39’} GMT+01

Katie made this comment,
5 fingers? You really must be a freak of nature. How do you mean that the actions suggest he wants more? Am I just being delibrately blinkered. As you pointed out given age, gender etc you are probably my best source of wisdom on this point. If you were acting like this then what would you be thinking?
Visit me @ http://screamtoasigh.blog-city.com

comment added :: {ts ‘2004-05-25 19:40:10’} GMT+01

moog made this comment,
hey baron, have you seen this? what is the world coming to? http://www.20six.co.uk/Cllr_Andrew_Brown
Visit me @ http://jealoustwin.blog-city.com/

comment added :: {ts ‘2004-05-25 21:29:33’} GMT+01

moog made this comment,
actually, this is also a little weird… http://bill.verity-networks.com/ext/recess/recess.php
Visit me @ http://jealoustwin.blog-city.com/

comment added :: {ts ‘2004-05-25 21:32:03’} GMT+01

Katie made this comment,
I didn’t realise that you’re gay
Visit me @ http://screamtoasigh.blog-city.com

[Redbaron responds – Fear not male bloggers the Baron is not gay you are quite safe and the women locked their doors ages ago!]

comment added :: {ts ‘2004-05-26 00:09:14’} GMT+01

haywood made this comment,
hey baron, email me the log-on info for the LBA site and I’ll work on it a bit
Haywood
cjh9999@mailblocks.com

Visit me @ http://cjh9999.blog-city.com

comment added :: {ts ‘2004-05-26 01:12:56′} GMT+01

Katie made this comment,
Sadly it’s all good advice, but you’ve been single for a while it seems haven’t you considered settling for second best just to be getting on with.
Also women like that do exist (except they’re probably not 6’ with stubble)-I’m just looking for what we’re all looking for, someone who’s the same as us. Sigh… yet in the mean time end up dating people who drink celery juice. Also I haven’t exactly led him on, I didn’t return his calls for 2 days and am not actually very nice to him when we’re together, I take the piss most of the time. It’s certainly not me that suggests dates and meeting people.
Oh also another thing when I was in London on Saturday passed through Trafalger Square where I did hear some interesting stuff from the people on the Respect event thing.
Visit me @ http://screamtoasigh.blog-city.com

comment added :: {ts ‘2004-05-26 02:01:38’} GMT+01