Metascribing

So I've been thinking alot lately about writing. Not just little things, but seriously writing. I have some aspirations to write on more than just a bloggers level. I think part of this has been because I have been reading more lately- which is something I haven't had as much time to do until the past year or so. As a result, I get ideas and themes and make connections and then I want to write them down- to share my observations. We've recently experienced what happens when I think too much about science and the universe. (see previous blog posts) But, since I've been thinking about writing lately, I thought that I would choose to write about writing- so I guess I am metascribing- (if thinking about thinking is metacognating, then writing about writing is....)? There are a couple of things I know about me and writing- especially what I see as my weaknesses. I have to keep a sense of humor and lightheartedness- or I will get into my dark and cynical side- we don't need more of that type of thinking these days. I also find that if I am writing about something meaningful from my life, it gets pretty sappy and sentimental- I'm not a big fan of my own writing when I get that way. Lastly, I haven't ever really tried- but dialogue seems to escape me. I either write WAY to many words or what I write sounds unnatural. So, that rules out a few types of writing- including the great American novel.

What it leaves me are the forms I am comfortable with anyway- which is more of the essay- the humorous or perhaps even expository- a reflection on a topic or theme, maybe an observation on the odd way I look at life. I could also possibly do some journalism-type feature writing- but that would require time for research, and some taming of my word choice. I am not very stingy with words, if you hadn't figured that out by the length of these blog entries. With some revision and discipline, though, I might be able to tighten up my writing. If I am serious about writing I need to keep reading alot, and also I need to write more frequently. Lastly, I think if I want to do more than write as a hobby, I should take a few classes to renew some writing talents that have gone fallow. There is something about sitting under another's direction and critique that helps sharpen my writing. It makes me more vigilant about my use of passive voice or overuse of adverbs and fragmented sentences. It helps. Maybe we can all expect better blog entries in the future or, maybe, just more of them.