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Published: March 3rd 2006
I have to write about writing so that I can get it out there. I’d rather publish this essay about the writing of these blogs in one singular entry than let scattered thoughts drip into every blog and detract from the experiences captured within.
That’s my disclaimer.
Enjoy:
The power of the written word has been rediscovered through the emergence of emails. Instant & Text messaging have stripped a lot of nonsense often accompanying attempts at communication while simultaneously adding emphasis to often used words and words have even been created in order to convey meaning in a more simple fashion. I’m not sure yet whether this transformation has taken place out of a need to communicate within the new fast pace, technological day that we are currently living or if its just pure laziness that has prompted this turn but either way, I feel as if the art of writing is becoming lost.
The idea of a blog is a rather new one to me and we are all exploring this new method of writing together. Though I studied English Literature in college, I never once read a blog so I really have no framework for what should
or should not happen. It’s a little bit exciting to know that there are many people so far away from me that I both know and don’t know that are reading a glorified version of my personal travel journal. I also relish in the fact that my ideas, thoughts and words are interesting enough to be read. Now I’m cheating myself when I think that it’s solely the writing that keeps readers interested. This website has a statistics function where I can see how often each blog is viewed and I know those numbers are distorted because a good number of people are only interested is looking at some pretty pictures. This is after all, a Travelblog and its more the distant lands that have captured the imagination of most of you but the fact remains that without a well written story to accompany the pictures, very few readers would be willing to follow my journey.
I knew this would be a good idea for a few reasons the first being that I would be able to keep in touch with my family, foreseeing a potential inability to talk on the phone as often as I would like due to time zones, work schedules and the like. The second being that I hate getting mass emails sporadically from someone you thought had fallen off the face of the earth only to realize that they’ve been off on an adventure you wish you had known about. And finally this blog would give me the opportunity to actually use the education that I’ve taken out so many loans to pay for in an interesting and creative way. Travelblogging has given me a forum whereby I can not only keep in touch with Jr, Marcia, Megan and Brendan, but also anyone else reading this that I did not grow up in the same house with while keeping me grounded to the fact that this trip isn’t just about me.
There’s an element to the blog that is a journey for the reader as well as the writer. As I believe I’ve expressed, I really don’t know where I’m going tomorrow. Ok, countries, yes, those are planned but there’s a great majority of this venture that is so spontaneous and exciting that no one, including Royal and I know what will happen next. The delay associated with posting blogs is only natural when traveling because the events that occur need time to be reflected upon so that an honest and entertaining story can be produced. Emails cheat this system because I sometimes reveal my current location before my previous location’s blog has been published which is really inconsequential in the grand scheme, but for those following along, cohesion is a necessary element in blogging.
The most prohibitive aspect of these blogs has been uploading the pictures to each entry because in order to do that, hours must be spent in an internet café when there may be a beautiful beach behind the computer or a mountain waiting to be climbed or a city outside to be explored. With that though, the reflection time associated with writing down my experiences not only allows me to permanently capture inside my mind what I’ve experienced but it also allows for some mellow time, time not spent in constant motion.
I’ve been traveling for a little over two months and the number of miles, kilometers or however you want to measure distance has been considerable to say the least. Where I see Royal writing notes in his journal, my journal became dead weight after about three entries. When I write, I write a lot and all at the same time. There is writing time and travel time and to be honest, I’m not sure I could do either without the other right now. So this blog has in a sense become a necessary part of my trip. Yes, there was a small part of me that wanted this blog to be absolutely amazing initially and give my journey some justification to those who did not approve or more importantly did not understand the personal importance it holds, but I’ve since rechanneled those justification energies into a completely separate and distinct project that I hope will have more success than this blog will ever see. I will never be right here, right now again, so to me, it’s the documentation of all of it that counts the most.
I can’t say that I am undergoing a singular life altering experience because this is my life. An older work colleague of mine called me out before I left and told me that this trip will determine so much about my future and my perception of my place in it. I’ve still got a long way to go and I already couldn’t agree more. With this blog, you all are participating in an experiment whereby I’ve opened up my life and have invited you to follow along as I attempt to “figure it out.” Friends have told me that reading about what I’m doing gives them hope and helps them take the pain of a desk job a little easier. I’ve always been a dreamer but right now I’m able to live my dreams. What I get to write about are stories I thought would only happen to other people as I was growing up. Without embellishing too much into the idea that I know I am one of the luckiest people I know, I realize that. I am well aware that what I do every day, most people will never experience and I do take the time to fall in love with every moment of every day. But I’m not selfish. If I get to do all this, why shouldn’t you be allowed to come with me?
While in a restaurant in Singapore, I was trying to describe what my blogs means to me when the girl I was with recounted the story of her friend. He had a personal blog, which means he was writing more intimately about his life than about travels. This blog was so popular in certain circles and became as widely read as a regular column in a daily newspaper. He was offered a book deal, is currently working on a screenplay for a film and a Seinfeldesque television show is supposedly being created based on the exploits contained in his blogs. I suppose the point of that story is that a blog inherently is opportunity simply because it is out there. Blogging isn’t for everyone as another friend of mine pointed out that she’d have a hard time having so much of her life open to the potential of judgment and ridicule. This doesn’t bother me. I try to live my life like an open book which is why the idea of blogs really appeals to me, but what I write and what you read really only encompasses about 20% of what I actually do. Be thankful for what little filter I do place on myself prior to writing because to be frank, the other 80% is mine and you can’t have it.
On that note, knowing that I could go on and on writing about writing, I want everyone to know that I am extremely appreciative of the time taken out of their day to read my words and follow along with these blogs. The journey has really only just begun…
Post Script:
Due to the nature of this blog, it has been rewritten twice and edited for content. Most of my blogs however are not edited in any way shape or form and come directly from me to you. There is so much happening everyday that prohibits editing but I do take the time to make sure that what I write is what I think and what you read is an honest reflection of the world I see.
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George Fraunces
non-member comment
Thanks for including me
Hi john, Thank you for including me. I am a little slow with all of these technology changes or I might add technology opportunities. yoiu are an excellent write and i enjoy your style( I should know i was a Math guy not an english guy in school) Good things happened with PSU in recruiting and i talked to my friend yesterday and Paul Poluszany is going to come back and has just started to rehab. Good luck and thank you, George