Thursday, December 14, 2006

If You Can't Say Something Nice...


5 am and 75 degrees.
I cheated. This photo was taken yesterday as the sun was coming up. At 5 am it is still dark here.
There was an interesting article in Writers Digest the other day - all about blogging and not watching what you say. It discussed some of the current raging tempests where both commentees and commenters roll up their shirt sleeves and battle. Then there are occasions where a blogger forgets that he/she is just not typing into oblivion and lower their guard.
Kind of like celebrities in a Barbara Walters' interview.
(so were there any other problems working with that director? And when exactly did the police arrive?)

I try to adhere to what my mother always told me.
If you can't say something nice,
don't say anything at all...unless somebody pays you a heck of a lot of money and you're on TV.
Oops! No!
I don't think she mentioned that part.
Anyway.
For me blogging is a way to warm up in the morning and get to work.
I pour my coffee. Sit at my computer.
It is an opportunity to be creative with no word count.
No plot lines.
No chapter headings.
I try to amuse and not offend.
And be mindful of who is reading this blog.
After all my mother told me a few other things.
Be kind even if it kills you.
And don't hurt other people's feelings.
I think that about covers it.
Oh.
I forgot something else she used to say.
Always.
Wear.
Clean.
Underwear.
Just in case.

6 comments:

Zany Mom said...

I agree. I have a professional blog, but it's purpose is to inform people about why we do what we do, why it costs so darn much, and why we don't fall for requests for freebies. It can, at times, be blunt, with a liberal dousing of my dry sense of humor. It's anonymous because I'm sure someone will say, gee that lady's not nice, I'm not patronizing her business! LOL I can say what I want without fear of retribution.

My public persona, yes, I am polite, though I might call a spade a spade. I guess I haven't read too many angry blogs. Hmm. Maybe I should renew my subscription to Writer's Digest.

Anonymous said...

I shall remain unnamed on my blog, but when the day comes that I *must* have a website, that will be a different animal. I'll really have to watch what I say then!

I've always tried to be polite, and I've always been somewhat paranoid of everything I do being googleable under one name. So I use several 'handles' for different aspects of my life. It seems the best way to deal with things.

Anonymous said...

I see the challenge to be staying real and personable without divulging too much personal information that it could become dangerous to my family somehow. I blog under what will be my pen name, Kimber An. I chose a pen name because we like living in a small community and I don't want people looking funny at me in the check-out stand at the grocery store. It's a way of keeping my private and professional lives separate. Before I was promoted to motherhood, my professional name was 'Nanny.' ;)

Anonymous said...

It is hard to refrain sometimes from asking more personal questions of those whom you get to feel are 'blogger buddies' ~ mostly for me because I am generally outgoing and always happy to make a new friend ~ I do have to remember that I could be talking to a deranged person and not know it. On the flip side, the other person also is taking a chance on me ~ I say I'm married with children, but I could be some inmate in a halfway house looking for trouble.
It goes against my grain sometimes to not be as friendly as I am in real life, but I deal.

ORION said...

oh lady bronco you make a good point. I could be a "nutter" as they say in the UK.
I have a particularly interesting problem because as soon as my deal is posted and my cover decided on by the powers that be - my web site will be available - my blog will link to my site - and I will no longer be anonymous. It is a little scary - although if someone was really persistent they could pretty much figure out who I am.
And what my plan is...mua ha ha...

Anonymous said...

That is a gorgeous picture!!!
Just think, if the writing gig doesn't work out for you (yeah right) you could always be a professional photographer.;)

*sigh* Really, so gorgeous.:)