08Dec08 Challenging

I realized something while writing that last post: I am not a good writer. I’ve never been under the illusion that I am a great writer but I’ve concluded that I’m not even a good writer. Sure, I have a fairly decent grasp of grammar, vocabulary and spelling¹ but that doesn’t necessarily mean I know how to put all of that together into sentences that convey what I want to say. Going back to read some things I’ve written is almost painful. I would like for that to change.

So. How does one get better at something they aren’t good at? Usually the answer is practice. In this case I think it will be a great help. In some ways I have been practicing. This whole site, for example, has required me to write about several different things such as myself, the site, and whatever strikes my fancy when I decide to make a post. Like now. I’m writing about how poor of a writer I am.

Sometimes a person needs a little help. I don’t want to start writing the kind of entries that start out like “So today I went to work. [This] and [that] happened and then I went to lunch. Once I got back to work I had to [do this]…” It’s just not that interesting. Still, I do enjoy writing and posting here. I just need something to talk about.

That’s where you come in: suggest a topic for me to write about. I can’t promise that I will write about each and every one as I believe that some topics should never see the light of the “Publish” button. In fact, I have a post that I need to work on about that very subject. (I just haven’t been able to clearly express my thoughts on it.) Come on, folks, give me a challenge!

1. Even when I don’t know how to spell a word or when I don’t know exactly what a word means there’s always Firefox’s spellchecker plus the all-mighty Webster’s dictionary. People should take advantage of Webster more often than they do.