Blogging with the Stars

Earlier in the spring, I enrolled in a great online course called Blogging 101, offered through Editorial Freelancers Association.  Each Wednesday for the four weeks that the class lasted, we received a lesson.  As my friend Cecily used to say, “I waited with bait on my breath” for our teacher’s expertise, comments, advice to arrive via our class blog.  What a wealth of information and encouragement we received for four weeks!

 During those four weeks, we students also became friends via email, the class blog, and our personal blogs.  I added three  of my classmates’ blogs to my blogroll and check them periodically to see what they’ve written.

 Dee writes a blog all about Disney.  Honestly, she knows enough to write a veritable tome!  I don’t know how many times she’s visited both Land and World, but she’s headed back to Orlando in three months and three days.  On her blog, she writes about everything Disney, from clothes to characters to the monorail to . . . you name it, she writes about it.  What a fun blog!  (http://disneyholic-dee.blogspot.com/)

Laurel has become a true friend as a result of taking the course together.  She was the first person to encourage me to write a memoir.  She likes my voice!  There’s not a nicer compliment that another writer can give me than to say that I sound like a real person talking, and she doesn’t even know what I sound like.  Laurel is an editor by trade, and when I do write my memoir, I’ll hire her to edit for me.  She even offers classes over the phone to talk the will-be writer (her term . . . so much kinder than “wannabe writer,” which is the designation that I usually give myself) through her book.  Because of the suggestions for writers in her blog, I have unsubscribed to my subscription to a professional help-for-writers company and use her posts for my personal writing advice.  (http://yourbookyourself.blogspot.com/)

 Michelle’s blog is about language . . . about funny things that she’s heard and/or read, things she’s said herself that brought the house down, anything “quirky” (her word) about language.  So you know I love this blog.  She makes me wish that I’d kept a journal of all the funny things that my students said and wrote during my thirty-two years in the classroom.  I could write a book or two or three, I’m sure.  I read Michelle’s blog for my language fix!  (http://linguabrava.wordpress.com/)

 Each of these bloggers is a person to be admired for her writing ability, her dedication to the “cause” of good blogging, and her willingness to share thoughts with fellow bloggers through comments on blogs. Each one is a star in my estimation.  Each of them commented on my posts, encouraging me to write a memoir, and one day I'll so just that.  I am indebted to them, and I’ve told them so!