I'm a blog novice. I've read a few, but never written anything until just now. As a writer, the thing I struggle with is Fear in many of its (probably infinite) guises. When I look closely, all of my other struggles in life are actually all about fear: fear of criticism, fear of failure, fear of success, fear of getting in trouble, fear of people saying mean things to me. These fears slow my writing progress as they move into my writing studio and bring along friends (Distraction, Procrastination, Obligation) and set up large encampments where other fears can breed. I'm hoping that the spontaneous nature of blogs will diminish the presence of these fears and reduce the illusory importance of the written word. After all, it's only writing.
Jerry Colonna's blog, in particular, has inspired me to be brave about just putting it out there. I don't know Jerry very well, but feel that I know him better after I read what he writes. One of my biggest writing guides, Natalie Goldberg, says in one of her books that all readers really want is to know the writer better, and while I quibble with that (which is my skeptical nature), when I read Jerry's blog I admire his courage and his ability to create a sense of intimacy through his writing. In addition, I share his interest with Buddhist thought and action, and that commonality probably helps me feel connected to him. Thanks, Jerry.
And really, thanks to Brad, my funny husband, for guiding me through the blog setup process, which entailed downloading a newer version of Windows and other ugly computer stuff and patiently sitting near to me while I clicked on things that he told me not to click on. He's a good guy.
And how do you end your first blog post? I guess I'm figuring it out as I go along, which is only what all of us are doing, all the time.