Andrew Michael Sullivan is a British blogger. Though he writes blogs for many reasons, one reason in particular is because of the freedom blogging gives his work. The red tape that a professional writer must go through to have their work published is extremely tedious. From editing and approval to office politics, the public can never read a writer’s thoughts immediately. Blogging, Sullivan says, “Is therefore to writing what extreme sports are to athletics: more free-form, more accident-prone, less formal, more alive.”
Sullivan blogs because it is a fast paced job. He claims if you aren’t posting you aren’t relevant. It is essential to keep blogging, right or wrong, grammatically correct or incorrect, controversial or safe. Through Blogger, he was able to log his reaction to September 11th. Commenting on his posts from 9/11, “I can look back and see not just how I responded to the event, but how I responded to it at 3:47 that afternoon. And at 9:46 that night.”
Sullivan sees blogs as a work in progress. The commentary is
what makes the blog. It turns writing into a conversation. People are able to
learn new things. Blogs are not meant to be read, but to be critiqued. He believes blogging helps improve writing
skills. The frequency and the risks associated with that speed help a person
evolve as a writer. To clarify, Sullivan states in Why I Blog, “The points
of this essay, for example, have appeared in shards and fragments on my blog
for years. But being forced to order them in my head and think about them for a
longer stretch has helped me understand them better, and perhaps express them
more clearly.”
Sullivan blogs to express his ideas, good or bad, and
receive feedback. Through Blogger, he is able to see many different perspectives
other than his own and is always improving his writing.
I like how you described his view of blogs as a work in progress. That's a great way of putting it!
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