Has Blogging Opened up the Desire to be Creative?

This was one of the questions posed to me at the Bloggers Conference in Nov. My extremely introverted self doesn't do well with thinking on my feet, especially when I'm in front of a group. I've given these questions lots of thought over the past few months and decided to address them, hopefully a bit more coherently than I did at the time.

I have a love affair with language. I started reading at a very early age and, all through school, tested well above my grade level in reading and comprehension. I was a good creative writer all through school.

Raising children, my life revolved around Dr. Seuss, Rainbow Bright, Barney, don't forget your manners, do you have to go pee, birthday parties, hurry up or you'll miss the bus, no you may not have a sleepover on a school night, your curfew is 9pm, you're not leaving the house wearing that, yes you can use the truck to go to your friends. Reading was limited to magazine articles that could be finished in a short amount of time. Serious reading was of the "How to be a Good Parent" variety. Reading for leisure was all but non-existent, especially when I went back to work.

My brain has atrophied. I forget how to spell words or don't use certain words correctly. It's frustrating to see a skill I once had, faded. Yes, I hope that blogging will see a return of my ability to write creatively. I want people to take pleasure in reading what I've written.

I have an extensive blogroll and enjoy reading each and every blog on it. Some of them are literary masterpieces and I aspire to be like those writers. Others are more informal, like mine. I'm still trying to find my voice. I like the informality of my blog. I've been asked by friends and family back home, "What do you do all day?" so this is my answer to those folks.

If anyone has words of wisdom to share on how to make my blog more interesting (aside from the need to include more pictures), I'd love to hear from you. My email address is on the sidebar if you'd prefer to send your comments privately.