Alien-Human Hybrid

What is your relationship to information?

When initially asked, I thought of myself first and foremost as a collector of information, in the old-lady-with-lots-of-antiques sense of the word. I enjoy information. I’m pleased to neatly stack it in my brain, dust it occasionally and drag it out when the moment requires it. I take great comfort in gaining information and in knowing that there’s always more out there for me to collect. Information is a thing without end.

Then I thought of myself as a collector in a less flattering, slightly creepier sense. I’m (psychotic?) obsessive about it in some ways. If I’m genuinely fascinated with something or someone, I simply cannot. get. enough. I often think of my life as a series of obsessions. And when I’m obsessed with something, I will turn the world upside down and shake it to discover all of the information I possibly can about the Obsession. It becomes a quest, simultaneously sustaining and challenging me. I live for what I love. It’s intense. And the interesting thing is: when my Obsession fades (and I can never tell when it will), it still retains its original vibrancy and glory. Even as I delight in a new obsession and embark on a new quest, I still revisit and adore the old. The information I’ve collected still glimmers.

I also consider my relationship with information to be, to some extent, one of advocacy. Politically, I’m just about as far left as you can go. I have a passion for Women’s Studies and feminist theories, which often shows itself in the kind of information I collect and disseminate. I use what I learn, whether in academia or through another writer’s blog, to educate other people and (sometimes) persuade them to change their thinking. I firmly believe knowledge is power (is that a cliché yet?) and I believe sharing information can empower and enlighten people. Hence, the “About Face” and “Voice Not Bodies” links on my “Good Sites” roster.

Finally, for me, information is (sort of) a form of self expression. This blog, though now dear to me, is not what I would consider my most honest, creative self expression. Creative writing – poetry and short fiction – is where I express myself, where I experiment, where my emotions pulsate beneath the words, where I abandon my shy exterior. (This is not, of course, to suggest it is any good.)

Until this class, I was unaware of the relationship between information and creative writing, but there is one and it's strong. The information I collect, the information I want to share and the information that disturbs, challenges or pleases me always seems to wriggle its way into my writing. Characters, plot points, descriptions, settings, word choices are laden with the information I absorb.

And that’s my story.

Labels: I'm An Old Lady, Information, Writing

Posted by Sara at 1:14 PM | Permalink | Comments

Against my better judgment, I went to a party last night. Wild party girl that I am, I spent the evening curled in a leather chair reading various Time magazines that my friend Dennis had scattered on the table in his room. I came across this really interesting article and began to think about it in terms of writing, blogs and vlogs. If museums are going high tech to keep up with our ever-shrinking attention spans, are traditional museums dying out? Similarly, is traditional writing dying out in favor of blogs and vlogs? There will always be books; I'm sure of this because the thought of books ceasing to exist or migrating online or becoming shorter and more interactive makes me want to fling myself off the nearest bridge. But will they always be as well read? Will they turn into the traditional museums hurting for money of the literary world? Further (and more relevant to class), will videos replace much of the writing in blogs? Will the attitude be: If you can show it, why bother writing it out?

I don't know. I think it's possible that writing and blogging will shift to incorporate more videos and interactive what-nots. But I have faith that one of the fundamental joys of blogging and writing is to "get it out" -- whatever your "it" may be -- to punch the keys, to express yourself. And I have to believe that no matter how technically savvy we become, we will still appreciate that and make room for it.

Labels: Technology, Writing

Posted by Sara at 12:52 PM | Permalink | Comments

OK. Since class ended on Monday, I've been thinking about the question of why bloggers blog, and more specifically, way so many bloggers blog?

I do think there's some truth to the idea that we (humans) are information-sharing animals, that we have innate need to spread information, knowledge and ideas. In fact, I think this is the best explanation I've heard for why so many bloggers blog.

Why do I blog? I spent some time thinking about whether this is the same as asking myself why I write. For me, the writing (moreso than blogging) comes from an innate need, from my inborn inability to communicate well in a common way: by speaking. For me, it has always been easier to write something down than to say it. Sometimes I'm not even sure that my emotions actually register, or if I can identify them, until I've written about them. So, no. I don't think asking "why blog?" is synonymous with "why write?" (But I'm just thinking aloud here.)

Anyway. After I shoveled my way through those thoughts, I started wondering: why do I blog? Why have I blogged (horrible blogs, mind you) for four years? I have no answer. I'm a relatively private person, a bit hermit-ish given the moment, so it seems out of character. Why, then, do I write in a public venue? Am I a closet exhibitionist? Am I really self-absorbed?

...I think that rather than answer those questions, I'll just say that it's natural that I blog because it's natural to share information and knowledge.

Now, on to the memes.

Labels: Blogging, Writing

Posted by Sara at 9:39 PM | Permalink | Comments