This entry has been sitting here in draft form since last fall. I haul it out every once in a while, revise it a little, then put it back in draft form. But tonight at the regional Title One conference, there was discussion about student bloggers that made this particular post again come to the forefront for me. Now I can’t stop thinking about it - which must mean it’s time to go public with it.

This year, in addition to Technocalities, I’ve maintained a personal blog. It started out as a place to post photos that I was trying to make myself take more of. But it quickly became a narrative of sorts - with a photo to accompany each entry. And two big surprises have come from it: I work harder at the writing part than I ever expected I would - and I actually look forward to doing it. How did that happen???

Usually I post late in the evening, just before the end of my day. Throughout the day, I think about an idea, a notion, the content of the day’s post. I find myself composing phrases at odd times. If I come up with something I really like, I often make a note to myself. I even started a running list of ideas about which to post - old stories and memories, things that are on my mind, that sort of thing. When I finally do sit down to blog, I have my dictionary application open so I can check spelling and reference the thesaurus. I compose the day’s post, then I reread and revise. Mull over my choices of words. Vary my sentence structure. Make sure the paragraph flows. Try to be concise but clear. I work hard on the ending trying for a big finish. When I think I’ve got it right, I publish - and then shut down for the night. But in the morning with coffee, after I’ve caught up on the news, after I’ve checked email and the weather, I read the post again. If it needs tweaking, I do it then. I find it helps in the revision process to have that little bit of distance from the original writing session.

Doesn’t this sound familiar??? Isn’t this precisely what we ask our kids to do when they write?

What is it that drives me to put so much effort into something as trivial as a photo blog? It’s because I know it’s being read. At this writing, I have a small audience. Very small, actually - but it’s an audience nonetheless. And, as I write, I am becoming more and more aware of the impact of my writing on this audience. I do believe I’m hooked. And I can not tell you how surprised I am by that.

So here’s my question: Could the same thing happen for kids who blog? Does it? Does their sense of audience drive them to work harder at writing than they ever thought they would? Might they find they actually like to write? I wonder.