The Creative Power of Rain

It's a bank holiday Monday in England. And, inevitably, it's raining and cold; so blustery I was driven indoors after a valiant 40-minute attempt at planting a few pots in the garden. What better prompt, then, to sit down at the computer and do something I've been meaning to do for at least a year.

Blogs are a gift for former journalists, frustrated by their desire to write for and share with a wide audience. Yes, I still write. But the general public is probably not interested in my latest bit of ghostwriting on the management challenges of flexible working, nor do most business topics give the personal delight of recounting a recent holiday or climbing on a virtual soapbox to comment on the world.

I was a blogger once, in spirit, long before the digital age. Back at my alma mater, the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, part of the sophomore year newswriting class entailed turning yourself into a daily columnist. Monday through Friday, 500 entertaining and engaging words on a topic of your choice had to be in Professor Dick Hainey's mailbox by 5pm. I don't feel that old, but technologically it was a different age. In 1983 this entailed banging a column out on an electric typewriter and actually walking it across campus to the journalism building. I must admit that there was something more satisfying about "filing copy" when you physically put a piece of paper into an "in" box than simply hitting "return".

The thought processes, however, remain the same. Observe the world. Consider a fresh angle. Write for your audience. Make public. The beauty of blogging is ease of publication and an instant link to the world. That's quite a compelling proposition for a former journalist looking for the occaisional outlet for her words. And a terribly convenient one for someone who's lived and worked in multiple cities and is trying to keep in touch with a far-flung address list.

So, friends and family, this blog's for you. If any strangers stumble across it and find it entertaining, thanks for reading.