Giving a shout out to some great writer blogs is all very well, but what about great bloggers who aren't writing about writing? I've decided to give a weekly nod to a great blog each week which has caught my eye because of the author's unique voice, storytelling capability, and all round ability to share their life and thoughts in a way that made me want to read more. After all, what's the point in good writing if it doesn't get read?
One of the core things you will hear me harp on about is that to be a good writer you absolutely must read as much as possible. With that in mind, I don't feel too guilty about randomly wandering around the blogosphere and losing hours reading a random assortment of posts. I love to see how different people express themselves. Some write with a structure, some ramble, some talk about one topic, while others spill open their lives and generously share intimate thoughts. Reading new writers is like a breath of fresh air, and it introduces new ideas and concepts. I also find it quite liberating as I realize that I hold myself to sometimes far too rigid standards.
So without further preamble, this week, the award goes to [insert applause here]:
How someone with six children makes time to blog, I have no idea, but blog he does, and he does it well. The latest post about releasing butterflies could have won any number of essay writing competitions, and is poignant and beautifully written.
My favourite line?
Maybe it occurred to him that if he didn't fly away soon I'd put him back in the netted cage and he would die there in the stale air, dehydrating, listening to the deafening screams of the boys trying to kill each other over a piece of lego because when he finally flew away, he flew far away and he didn't look back. I could tell.
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