Saturday, August 2, 2008

Of Courage and Inspiration

“I write because it is in the words that I replenish myself … and a mirror of my soul.”

“There are no coincidences in life.”

“Success is the ability of a man or woman to fail, but then have the courage to get back up, dust off the mud and then try life all over again”

“Living means waking up excited and going to sleep exhausted by the excitement.”

And, of course,

“Fear imprisons us forever while courage allows us to achieve our dreams.”

These are but a few words that impressed me while reading through The Fearless Blog – the one blog that I’ve been following ever since I started blogging.

Be it an article on her students, a woman she doesn’t know, her loves of all things nature, her younger days, her dog Woody, her family trips, etc, it always amazes me how I can visualise her fingers dancing effortlessly and swiftly on her keyboard typing out her thoughts when I'm reading the article. I can always sense the ease with which she can come up with words to construct free flowing sentences that are moving, encouraging and inspiring. But being a professor on developmental writing for over 18 years, you’d expect that, won’t you?

And she does not use “big words” often. Another reason I like reading her blogs, save me the trouble to raise my hand, reach for the drawer, open it, take out the dictionary and flip to the correct page to understand an unfamiliar word every two or three sentences. The uninterrupted flow makes the reading all the more enjoyable. And it’s encouraging for me too. For “big words” I know little, and I would like to be able to write well too.

Trying to hone my writing skill, I would read most of her articles more than once, trying to unlock her secret on writing. Or I’ll just hop directly onto her posts on writing technique and grammar, which are refreshing and helpful. Hope you don’t mind me getting some free lessons here, Professor.

It’s also here that I picked up a few inspirational, motivational, and writers’ blogs, as she’d do reviews on her favourite blogs regularly.

And if you’d like to beef up your vocabulary, right before you leave the site, scroll down to the end of the blog and catch a “Word of the Day”. She’s a professor in writing, what would you expect?

I do have to add: with the limited time I spend surfing the Net, I have yet to exhaust all her posts. Still, I’d highly recommend a stopover at her blog – not just to appreciate how well she wrote, but, more importantly, to “to seek courage and inspiration” from what she wrote.

The reason I’m writing my comments (dare not call it a Review :-)) on The Fearless Blog is because she’s kind enough to pass me an AWARD (my first ever!) a few days ago.

However, as the rules require me to pass it on to my “followers”, I think I’ll break the chain here and be selfish by keeping it for myself. Last I checked when I turned around, I didn’t notice a soul in sight. Sigh … I also don’t feel easy passing it to someone else, unless I’m confident I know him/her to a certain extent.

Yipee! An AWARD!


5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Congratulations on your award!
Good luck on your writing also.
The Fearless Blog is one of my favorites.
Have a great day!

Reflections Magazine editor said...

Buzzingj, I always enjoy my visits to your blog mostly because I am never sure what to expect. When I stopped by your site this morning, I was once again pleasantly surprised. As I read your post, as I always do, I began to recognize some of those quotes...then my blog name appeared and yes then it sank in...you were writing about me. But you were not just listing points or serving up a pretty platter decorated with leafy greens. No... you were writing a fresh and vivid account with such depth and clarity. You were dissecting my writing, my thoughts and my feelings as you saw them in my words.

As I prepare to write my book review on William Zinsser's On Writing Well, your piece serves as an excellent example of what he defines as good writing. Yes the grammar and punctuation is important but it is not the only thing. Good writing, he says, is simple, uncluttered and offers significant value. I must admit I too believe this to be true, for in the end what good is my writing if no one reads it, understands or finds it helpful in some way.

Not only is your post easy to read and understand because it is simple and uncluttered, filled with specific details and examples, but it appears to me that you actually enjoyed writing it, something Zinsser insists is vital if you are to be successful in your pursuits. The writing must please you before it can please your reader.

I am honored that someone with such keen abilities has deposited such thoughtful words of praise upon my writing.

The award was well deserved...

Anonymous said...

'Grats on winning the award :) Great going...

Buzzing J said...

In accepting this award, I would like to take this opportunity to thank my parents for having me, and not giving me up for adoption, my English teacher who taught me how to write, and not doing a good job, my kids whose appetites are so big, I’ve to start this blogging to look for extra income (with success of the size of a bread crumb), my wife for nagging me for spending too much time on the computer, which make me want to spend more time on the computer, and of course, my blogging friends who make this an enjoyable experience. Thank you all.

Reflections Magazine editor said...

Now that is the best acceptance speech I have ever read!
:) You have a great sense of humor and a wonderful way of connecting with your reader.

Happy blogging to you.....

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