The Blogging Conundrum
I've been meaning to blog for quite some time, I constantly want to portray my opinion about the sport I'm pretty sure I'm clinically obsessed with, because I feel as though my individual opinion is unique and would cause the limited number of people who read this blog to maybe change the way they think about issues that concern the incredible sport that dominates our country at this time of year (lets be honest when does hockey and in particular the NHL NOT dominate this country's proverbial thought process. Not a day goes by when hockey is not covered by the mainstream media in some way shape or form). However whenever I do come up with an idea to write about I second guess myself, I doubt what I'm writing in the sense that I'm aware that the topic I will be discussing within my blog has already been argued and debated well before I get to it, and even if it hasn't it most certainly will be discussed by individuals who are far more qualified to speak on the finite points of hockey than yours truly.
That train of thought in particular is what really disturbs me when I get the urge to write and publish my opinions on hockey. I certainly don't believe I'm unique in my wavering confidence in the quality of literature I produce on the subject of this fantastic sport. I would estimate there are hundreds if not thousands of blogs out there where die hard hockey fans administer their thoughts to anyone who happens to come across their blog on Google or Twitter. What makes my blog unique? Why would anyone want to visit my website and read my opinion on the issues that affect the sport today? Certainly not for my pedigree (I have none) and not for my stylistic writing (journalism is a dream of mine, however I'm aware that becoming a writer who can be proud of the words he puts on paper requires more than just the two years of undergraduate study I currently have). I have never been ashamed of the writing I produce, particularly because as a student of English, writing is my meal ticket. I need to be able to effectively and correctly communicate in the hopes of achieving not just my basic university degree but also to meet my future goals. As an English major I have often been scolded or mocked for my choice of study, but the degree I choose to pursue is far from easy. It's not about reciting dates or events, nor is about recalling formulas or describing steps in a lab. An English degree is about interpreting texts that are so profound and thought provoking that I can't imagine the author who wrote it was once the same age as myself, that they struggled with the same confidence issues involving their writing as I struggle with every time I put pen to paper. An English degree comes down to one or two opportunities in which I get to demonstrate that I can interpret what I read in a unique way that is not only enjoyable but also thought provoking for those who are reading (and also marking) what I write.
This brings me back to the issue of blogging, because my challenges with the papers I produce for my professors relate exactly to the dilemmas I face when I think about divulging my opinion about hockey. If I cannot communicate efficiently and effectively, but also uniquely and powerfully, than I lose my audience. Much like I cannot say that I am the best at interpreting the works of literature within my university classes, I cannot say that I am anywhere close to the best at interpreting what happens on the ice as much as those who write for mainstream papers or websites. If one is looking for opinions and descriptions of games in a form of writing that comes off as poetic I urge them to read Bruce Arthur or Michael Farber (and please please read them, journalists such as those two inspire me on a daily basis to pursue my dream of writing). Much like I cannot imagine the writers I study in school as struggling with confidence, I cannot imagine the sports journalists I hold in such regard as ever doubting their ability to describe a game so incredibly in words that it was like reading about a hockey game was just as good as witnessing it live. However these writers that I admire and that inspire me, once upon a time battled the same demons I do with the words they wrote. Maybe I'm wrong but I believe that every writer constantly wonders "are the words I'm producing and providing good enough?" I don't see this as a bad thing, asking oneself such a question means that one will always strive to be the best they can be. There is always room for improvement no matter what.
So why do I keep on writing? Or in particular, why would I continue to publish on this blog? I don't have a niche, something that very few others offer which draws them to the site no matter what the quality of writing. I don't have an enlightened opinion or a first person or "insider" perspective. However I realized that I only need those things if I'm writing in an effort to please someone else. That is not what this blog is for, at least not any longer. As much as I long for people to enjoy the things I write, this blog is a tool in which I can sharpen my skills in an effort to pursue the dream I have had since I was 12 years old. Coming to this conclusion is an incredible relief, because I no longer feel the need to divert my writing in an effort to cater to groups of people so that my blog will be read. This means that posting will occur far more frequently now that I am free from those self-administered restrictions, and any day I get to work on the art I love so incredibly much, is a pretty great day in my books.
For those who do read this blog, I am so humbled by that and I thank you for your precious time. I hope the stories I have put together so far have been worth your time, I also hope the opinions I piece together in the future will be even more enjoyable and thought provoking. My thoughts and ideas about the sport I love so much may be similar to some out their who are far more talented than I (and once again I urge you to read them, we are incredibly lucky to have a number of fantastic sports journalists within the hockey world). However I promise that what I write are my thoughts, and I will continue to deliver them as long as I am capable in my own manner.
Writing in general is therapeutic. Writing about hockey is pure bliss.
I look forward to future discussions
Ryan Babington
That train of thought in particular is what really disturbs me when I get the urge to write and publish my opinions on hockey. I certainly don't believe I'm unique in my wavering confidence in the quality of literature I produce on the subject of this fantastic sport. I would estimate there are hundreds if not thousands of blogs out there where die hard hockey fans administer their thoughts to anyone who happens to come across their blog on Google or Twitter. What makes my blog unique? Why would anyone want to visit my website and read my opinion on the issues that affect the sport today? Certainly not for my pedigree (I have none) and not for my stylistic writing (journalism is a dream of mine, however I'm aware that becoming a writer who can be proud of the words he puts on paper requires more than just the two years of undergraduate study I currently have). I have never been ashamed of the writing I produce, particularly because as a student of English, writing is my meal ticket. I need to be able to effectively and correctly communicate in the hopes of achieving not just my basic university degree but also to meet my future goals. As an English major I have often been scolded or mocked for my choice of study, but the degree I choose to pursue is far from easy. It's not about reciting dates or events, nor is about recalling formulas or describing steps in a lab. An English degree is about interpreting texts that are so profound and thought provoking that I can't imagine the author who wrote it was once the same age as myself, that they struggled with the same confidence issues involving their writing as I struggle with every time I put pen to paper. An English degree comes down to one or two opportunities in which I get to demonstrate that I can interpret what I read in a unique way that is not only enjoyable but also thought provoking for those who are reading (and also marking) what I write.
This brings me back to the issue of blogging, because my challenges with the papers I produce for my professors relate exactly to the dilemmas I face when I think about divulging my opinion about hockey. If I cannot communicate efficiently and effectively, but also uniquely and powerfully, than I lose my audience. Much like I cannot say that I am the best at interpreting the works of literature within my university classes, I cannot say that I am anywhere close to the best at interpreting what happens on the ice as much as those who write for mainstream papers or websites. If one is looking for opinions and descriptions of games in a form of writing that comes off as poetic I urge them to read Bruce Arthur or Michael Farber (and please please read them, journalists such as those two inspire me on a daily basis to pursue my dream of writing). Much like I cannot imagine the writers I study in school as struggling with confidence, I cannot imagine the sports journalists I hold in such regard as ever doubting their ability to describe a game so incredibly in words that it was like reading about a hockey game was just as good as witnessing it live. However these writers that I admire and that inspire me, once upon a time battled the same demons I do with the words they wrote. Maybe I'm wrong but I believe that every writer constantly wonders "are the words I'm producing and providing good enough?" I don't see this as a bad thing, asking oneself such a question means that one will always strive to be the best they can be. There is always room for improvement no matter what.
So why do I keep on writing? Or in particular, why would I continue to publish on this blog? I don't have a niche, something that very few others offer which draws them to the site no matter what the quality of writing. I don't have an enlightened opinion or a first person or "insider" perspective. However I realized that I only need those things if I'm writing in an effort to please someone else. That is not what this blog is for, at least not any longer. As much as I long for people to enjoy the things I write, this blog is a tool in which I can sharpen my skills in an effort to pursue the dream I have had since I was 12 years old. Coming to this conclusion is an incredible relief, because I no longer feel the need to divert my writing in an effort to cater to groups of people so that my blog will be read. This means that posting will occur far more frequently now that I am free from those self-administered restrictions, and any day I get to work on the art I love so incredibly much, is a pretty great day in my books.
For those who do read this blog, I am so humbled by that and I thank you for your precious time. I hope the stories I have put together so far have been worth your time, I also hope the opinions I piece together in the future will be even more enjoyable and thought provoking. My thoughts and ideas about the sport I love so much may be similar to some out their who are far more talented than I (and once again I urge you to read them, we are incredibly lucky to have a number of fantastic sports journalists within the hockey world). However I promise that what I write are my thoughts, and I will continue to deliver them as long as I am capable in my own manner.
Writing in general is therapeutic. Writing about hockey is pure bliss.
I look forward to future discussions
Ryan Babington
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