A much needed weekend...

It wouldn't be appropriate to start off without saying that this extended Labor Day weekend was something that I needed quite badly. I've been suffering from a number of afflictions which had rendered me tired, grouchy and an overall giant mess. The few days I've had to get lots of rest, organize my surroundings and focus on my health have paid massive dividends, hopefully to last throughout the rest of the shortened work week into next weekend.

Right now since the softball season has ended, I'm at an interesting crossroads where there's little going on in my schedule so I'm pretty much free to do whatever, and I've got a number of ideas heading forward. My reading is definitely at an all-time high, and I have to say everything I have opened up so far has grabbed my significant interest. When I first began reading last winter, I took a lot of notes which is something I got away from. Turns out that holding a notebook while reading takes away from the experience a bit, but also encourages "autopilot" mode where I don't necessarily digest enough of what I read, and often forget many points which I intend to use later in writing or conversation.

Which leads me to my very next point...writing and conversation. Both of these are absolutely integral to my master plan and success down the road. I'm hoping both the writing and talking feed off each other to a point where I can monetize each of them. In order to remember a good number of talking points, I absolutely need to make it a point of writing notes so I don't forget everything I read. Just like in dreams, stuff is forgotten very quickly and very difficult to recall without deep concentration. And yes, I've kept a dream journal before and HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who is fortunate enough to experience vivid dreams on a regular basis.

So earlier this evening I began reading a book about making money while blogging. While this is something I certainly aspire to, I realize I haven't even scratched the surface of the subject, and I'm not even a very good writer. In fact, I haven't ever taking a writing class and my style has remained at a relatively similar level ever since childhood. While my subject matter and vocabulary has matured a bit, I never went to the "next level" to be regarded as a good writer. This is something I haven't really thought about until recently, even though I have taken steps to increase my vocabulary since my dismal showing on the verbal SAT back in high school (a 560 -- not something to be proud of for someone with my IQ). Looking back even further, English was always my weakest subject, and one that I abhorred from day one.

While all that is great to say, pro blogging has little to do with hardcore writing skills as it has to do with the ability to manage a site that attracts readers. And this is something I'm going to concentrate on for the next few weeks as I continue my self-education. I'm already understanding that I need to keep a separate blog for each subject of interest, and knowing my target audience and all that jazz. One advantage I have is the fact that I have been contributing to internet message boards since 1994, so I have at least a decent understanding of what makes readers "tick" on message boards. While my in-person social skills may be somewhat awkward (a function of my personality more than anything), writing online has the benefit of allowing me to "think" everything out before typing it -- something that can't be done on-the-fly with face-to-face conversation. Unless of course, you have a pre-planned script of responses which is something I actually work on as well!

So as the readers of this blog may already know, this is my personal "diary" blog. It's something that I'll probably make Private at some point in the near future since it deals with mainly personal matters which remains largely irrelevant to almost everyone outside myself and circle of close friends. In response, I definitely plan on contributing more to my Futurist blog. The ultimate goal would be to open a number of blogs covering as many subjects as I can wrap my head around. With the potential number of diverse experiences I encounter every day as well as the pace of my reading, the real limitation will be time and energy. But for now I'll start with my 2 current blogs, and work from there.