Appended to my last post (the text, not the bugle) was a suggested link titled ‘Aww man, we gotta blog?!‘ An unpromising catch at first glance but, being trapped in the middle of an edit for a clinical journal, I was tempted as if to chocolate and made the click. This was it, a blog about blogging for PhD candidates (PhD.umpingground) which neatly articulated my drift of yesterday and collided it with another from my research world. So, writing blogs are for writing, practising writing, practising writing for an audience, marshalling thoughts, expressing ideas, asking questions, learning how to present arguments, and keeping a running commentary of your progress without trivialising either the work or yourself. Staggeringly useful, staggeringly relevant. Unlike the ‘People who bought this also bought that..’ nonsense you get on shopping sites, although I do feel for the author whose book brought up no suggestions at all. I mean, could they not find even a pamphlet that might fit?!
-
Follow
Following
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
Dr Suzanne Conboy-Hill 
Suzanne, I just read part 1 & 2.
I have two blogs: one that’s more about writing, and one I use to record family antics. When I started both blogs, I wasn’t quite sure how they would unfold, but they have each taken on their own course.
Blogs are like any story we write, I believe. We dive in with maybe an inkling of a premise, but the story often moves in a direction we couldn’t predict.
And, that’s the thrill in writing.
I say, write what you want to write on your blog, and eventually you’ll find your own theme.
That sounds good to me, Christi! I’ve blogged for a couple of years on MySpace which is quite a different environment so, when I discovered WordPress and decided to move my blogs here, I also grew them up a bit – largely because there seemed to be someone to talk to so that the content became a bit more relevant. I must say, the blog/twitter package is a revelation in terms of networking and serendipitous links.
I’ve always enjoyed writing so this is a gift. My theme elsewhere is communicating science. Maybe my theme here is ‘time off’ – for now at least!