Yawn. No, it’s not that early (I don’t wake up until the cats want to eat and they are learning to wait), so the yawn is really boredom. This is not a state I find myself in very often. However, opening differnet blogs I can’t seem to find something we all haven’t heard before. Are we at the stage where we know EVERYTHING?

I read, I dismiss, I don’t think much of the stuff is worth your time. It’s getting harder and harder to get me excited.

Having said all that, I did come across something fresh this morning: 9 Ways to Open Your Blog. http://ramonadef.wordpress.com/2011/12/26/9-ways-to-open-a-blog-post/#comments
I’ve used several of these ploys. To me a blog has three purposes: to enlighten, to entertain and to expose bits of personal info about the blogger. (Oh, I like that phrasing, might use it in a blog!). I look for blogs that can expand my knowledge of the writing world, but I want to be entertained while absorbing this info. I’ve used this tactic from the time I had my own column in the high school newspaper to writing term papers in college. It certainly makes people want to read what you have to say without being dry and intellectual.

But, I also like to see just a bit of the private life of the blogger as well. Not a bio, but just snippits. If I follow the blog on a regular basis, I tend to add these small facts to form an image of the person on the other end.

Look at what I’ve done to you this morning. I’ve told you I have cats. Some of you know that, but you don’t know that I have 9. Yes, I’m a cat lady, with all that that implies.

I don’t often get bored. Although I live alone, my mind is a playground and constantly entertains me.

I surprise myself with my own words and I like it when they all start with the same letter. I’m also overly fond of alliteration.

I had my own column in high school (On the Sunny Side). That’s because I was the first female editor of the school paper. Yes, I admit to being a nerd.

And, I got a 3.9 in college because I could entertain my profs with not only well thought out term papers but well-written and a bit tongue-in-cheek. After all the dry papers they had a grade I figured I’d give them a break.

Do you need to know all that? No. But this makes me a more fleshed out person to you, even though you may only know me through cyberspace. And, like the characters we write about, creating someone real on the page is a challenge.

Wow. Didn’t see this rant coming. I think the message I’m trying to get across is don’t be bland and don’t be afraid to show even the most intimate parts of yourself (within reason).