influence

Now Playing: Eyes Open by Taylor Swift (every lesson forms a new scar, they never thought you'd make it this far)

What is blogging?

It's not quite journalistic, because a lot of my stuff isn't bibliographied to oblivion.

It's very polemic but not very academic.

It's not always autobiographic.

It is opinion, but not in the format of the traditional opinion piece.

It is a journal, but not a diary. It is for wider entertainment.

It is educational, but I'm not a qualified teacher.

So what am I?

I'm a blogger.

I always like talking to my readers. I like knowing how my writing is perceived by others, especially people who don't know me in person particularly well. And seeing as, ya know...you guys never comment...

It's nice to get feedback. Any feedback. But highbrow people tend to get a bit...deflated when I reveal my true inspiration.

Vlogs. And stand-up comedy.

I'm a visual learner. I need visual and audio material to learn. I love movies. I love YouTube.

I don't subscribe to many patterns or rules when I write, especially on my blog. I experiment, play around with different things. I like to try and write for comedic effect, but because my sense of humour is rather obscure and dry and cynical - and of late quite dirty - not many people really get it.

I don't research everything I say. I don't speak for all women or all Asians or all teenagers or whatever. I don't stick to specific formats and formulas. My opinions change and grow and evolve over time. There are contradictions and controversies, because I'm a contradictory and controversial person.

I love vloggers. I feel like some blogs are stale and dull because they have no voice - and the best vloggers have loads of that. It is what I try to emulate - writing should have sass and style and character. Otherwise words mean nothing.

A friend asked me an interesting question - do you write your blog to:

a) Encourage society to act differently
b) Entertain your friends
c) Provide yourself an outlet of expression
d) Experiment with writing styles

And my answer?

All of the above.

First and foremost my blog is an outlet of expression. I need somewhere to put my thoughts, but it is important for me to know that people read them. I have spent so much of my life silenced, marginalized, misunderstood...I needed just one place where I am in charge, a place to say what I want and for people to make of it what they will.

Secondly I love experimenting. I write opinion pieces, recipes, review, rants, political discussions, lists, pictures, videos, biography, poetry - anything that takes my fancy. I love the freedom on my blog - no criteria, no deadlines, no pressure, no marks, no passes, no failures. Of course, I aim for excellence, but excellence is not something you can always put a number on.

Thirdly, I wish I had the power to encourage people to think differently. Not exactly to agree with me, but to think about what they're saying before they say things that hurt people. To challenge societal convention, to challenge dogma. To understand that we don't have to swallow and endure all the shit society and popular culture forces down our throats. To realize that there are a thousand different variations of right and wrong and compassion, not conformity, is the key. I want people to be able to engage in open dialogue, and I want everyone to understand that everyone has freedom of expression. I want to be accepted for who I am, and I want to learn to accept others for who they are.

As a result of these three goals, which have been ever present when I write, my blog has also become a means to entertain my friends. Many of my blog posts reflect conversations I have throughout the day, arguments that I've won and lost, things my friends point out to me. Many of my blog posts I write for my friends' amusement, and I hope they find me entertaining - some writers find that offensive, but I believe entertainment is the best form of communication and education.

I also write a lot of things aimed at people. There are some things that have to be said that I can't say in person...so I put them here. At school it's easy to push me down and make me shut up. Here? Not so much. I like the power in that.