The Art of Blogging

Fellow Friends,

I am a new blogger and writer. Well sort of, I have always loved writing in English class. I used to enjoy the writing assignments that argued a point. I no longer enjoy controversial writing. I have reached a point in my life where I would prefer a discussion over a debate any day. I enjoy a discussion where both people are genuinely interested in hearing the other persons view and why they came to that decision. A discussion initiated with the intent to genuinely gain understanding on where their comrad is coming from and not an attempt to try and change another person's perspective. When I say this, I am not referring to putting someone in their place. If someone is being inappropriate, I will tell them, especially, if it is at another human being's expense. I can't stand bullies or any injustices.

While in literature class I was introduced to the author, Henry James. (Who just so happens to be the brother of famed psychologist and philosopher William James. I have added a link about William James that will take you to Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.) Henry James' Essay "The Art of Fiction," is what made a huge impact on my idea of writing. He says in his this essay, "A novel is a living thing, all one and continuous, like any other organism..."
My goal with this blog is just that. I want you to be with me on my journey of learning ambition. I want you know that my writings are not, at this point, absolute and I am open to discussion and learning. I want to update most of the blogs I have already written because I have learned so much in the past two weeks while interviewing different people's perspectives on ambition. I honestly don't think I will ever have an absolute idea of ambition. Like beauty or intelligence, it will change with our culture. What I can find however, is the popular view of ambition. I can also find ambition in everything I learn in my future and every experience I go through. So, please note, when you read my blogs I can and could quite possibly be wrong. When I learn I am wrong, I will humbly re-blog what I feel my blog should have said. This blog is a living thing, maturing and growing with my own life experiences.

He says to a novice writer, "Write from experience and experience only"
All of what I write is from my experience. I can only write as a wife of two years who is currently raising a seven year old daughter. I can write with my experience as a paraprofessional for eleven years, who watched those who were told they would never walk, talk, or reach the age they had surpassed far earlier than our encounter. They have defied the odds with the help of the village. I know from experience that the quality of life is far more important than the discipline. I can write from my experience of being a single mom and being raised by one. I can write from the experience of living with a loved one who struggles from a silent mental illness. I have experienced many things, more than some, much less than others. So, when I suggest something, it is typically something I have seen work in my experience. I do not know it all, and those suggestions may not work for all, but I would rather tell it than not.

"What kind if experience is intended, where does it begin and end? Experience is never limited, and it is never complete; it is an immense sensibility, a kind of huge spider-web of the finest silken threads suspended in the chamber of consciousness, and catching every air-borne particle in its tissue. It is the very atmosphere of the mind; and when the mind is imaginative-much more when it happens to be the mind of a man of genius- it takes to itself the finest hints of life, it converts the very pulses of the air into revelations." Henry James

This passage itself was a revelation for me. I am constantly taking things into my silken threads and catching every air-borne particle. I am watching and waiting while learning and experiencing. This made complete sense to me. Almost overwhelmingly perfect sense. I pondered this and reread it for days taking it completely into my psyche. I enjoy using nature to spark my "ah ha" moments. I also use movies, books, quotes, words, research, statistics, the Bible, prayer and so much more in order to gain experience in my life. Maybe it's experience that drives me? Maybe that is my motivator.

"The difficulty in subjective learning is the level of honesty in the reflection process. The closer we come to being truthful, the more refined we come to understanding the process. This article comes very close to the complicated nature of pushing yourself, pushing the limits of what is possible and reconciling that to what is doubtful, what is fearful, and what might stop you. That is a strange place to ponder the world, on the razor edge of great accomplishment, and failure." Ron Samul

My professor wrote this in his blog, "We are the curriculum" post titled,"The Depth of Subjective Experience"about Rhizomatic Learning, after I had found James', "Art of Fiction," It was like the frosting to my James' cake. I needed both of the pieces to understand where I was going and how I was getting there. Putting these two together I learned, while using my experiences to write, I must write my truths. I must write where my thoughts go and how I get there. I must be honest with myself and be realistic. Reality, my reality is seen through my 5 senses and my the spiritual world of Christianity. In order for my audience to truly understand my thoughts, I must sit here in the depths of my sea of thoughts and be alone with myself. The strange place in which my thoughts, on ambition, dwell is on the "razor edge"of failures or great accomplishments. Writing my truths is a strange place for me. I'm not sure if it's because I must be alone with myself or I must be honest with the world about myself. Either way, it's a strange place.


Robert Frost has a poem in which he masters this lesson I learned, titled "Design."

I found a dimpled spider, fat and white,

On a white heal-all, holding up a moth

Like a white piece of rigid satin cloth--

Assorted characters of death and blight

Mixed ready to begin the morning right,

A snow-drop spider, a flower like a froth,

Like the ingredients of a witches’ broth--

And dead wings carried like a paper kite.

What brought the kindred spider to that height,

What had that flower to do with being white,

The wayside blue and innocent heal-all?

If design govern in a thing so small.

Then steered the white moth thither in the night?

What but design of darkness to appall?--

He takes such a simplistic over looked experience of a spider killing a moth, to the complex controversial idea of the creation theory. I'm am looking for ambition everywhere. I want to use every experience I will or have gone through, combined with other's experiences, and theories from the greats of psychology and sociology. Since experience "is never limited" I'm sure this will be a lifelong project. I suppose I will eventually get tired of it, but there is still so much for me to learn that I cannot see an end to it at this point.

Honestly,

Saschia