Conversational Versus Informational

I've spent most of my career writing in an informational style.  I developed classroom materials to educate students on complex software products offered by IBM.  I loved my job.  I was good at developing slide materials.  Here's an example of a slide I might have created for writing a blog post. 

Writing a Blog Post

• Title

• Content

• Formatting

• Publishing and Editing

We'd spend at least five minutes on this slide in a classroom environment.  I'd talk about each point and probably give a demo of creating a blog post.  Since some of the points on this slide are more involved, like formatting, there would be follow-on slides with examples and more details.

After I'd presented the topic, there would be a hands-on exercise to give the students an opportunity to practice the subject matter.  Exercise materials usually went something like this and would have pictures galore to reduce confusion and decrease frustration:

1. Select the Title entry field at the top of the page to the left of the orange "Publish" button.  
2. Enter the title. "My First Blog Post" in the field.
3. Click into the body area of the blog post and begin typing.  Enter several lines of text.
4. Press enter to get to a new line and add the text, "This text is underlined"
5. Hold down the left-mouse button and select the text "This text is underlined"
6. With the text highlighted, select the U at the top of the page.  
7. When you have completed your blog post, select the orange Publish button to publish.
8. To view your post, click the "View Blog" button at the top of the page.

Oh how dreadfully boring, right?  Informative, detailed, hopefully clear and concise, and nothing you'd want to read at night with a nice cup of tea.

When I started this blog, I wanted to build some skills at writing in a more conversational tone.  The first few months I felt like I was struggling mentally to find a voice or a tone or just words that flowed together in a non-jerky, awkward way.

At this point I think I've got the hang of it.  I can sit down at the computer here and just bang out a post.  It sounds like banging to me because I seem to try and hurry through it so I can get to other things.  But it's also a fun part of my day.  It's sometimes memories, it's sometimes recounting events and I get a good feeling that I'm at least documenting something  my children are doing each day because remembering in years to come will be more difficult.

I still have aspirations to write something fictional.  I may start with blog-post-length fictions.  I don't know when this might happen, but it's in plan.  As soon as I get an idea.  And as soon as I get the nerve.

The Big Boy Update:  Departures.  He's all about the departures.  When he leaves something or someone or someone leaves him he likes to say, "Bye bye X" to mark the event.  There's a humidifier in his room right now.  We looked at it and he discovered there's hot steam coming out.  Hot is associated with food and cooking to him.  As we were leaving the room he said, "Bye bye hot.  Bye bye cooking."   Also, wait for it, pee in the potty!  Yes indeed, we had a note that came home from school that said he was, "Dry the whole morning and pee in the potty once @ 11:30." 

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  Drool.  There is lots of drool today.  I don't know if this is a sign there will be teeth to come shortly.  I asked the pediatrician about her teeth the other day when we came in for the snot and cough check and she said all is well, that she's currently growing her permanent teeth.  The first round of teeth are on their way, they just erupt at different times for different children.

Fitness Update:  I ran the 4.5 miles culminating at the Popsicle store yesterday.  It's strange that I'm not even tired running that distance now.  I talked to Uncle Jonathan and he wants to work on speed, versus distance running.  I'm interested in both.  Although, speed is more difficult to build up I hear.  Uncle Jonathan reminded me that he was a glutton for punishment, and so clearly he'd want to take the harder route.  So it's going to be speed building drills for me soon.

Someone Once Said:   An adult doesn’t panic at a snake, she just checks to see if it’s got rattles.