Something to Blog About: Sparking the Conversation

"There's business in everything we do," I say. The classroom hums. Kids roll their eyes. I urge them to try - just try - to think of a career unrelated to business.
Hands go up.

"Artists don't have to know about business!" Someone chirps. Take that, Miss Guest Speaker.

But I don't even have to defend my point before a moon-faced girl with two pink stripes in her hair pipes up. "Well, they have to buy their paints. And tell people about their art. And sell it. Right?"

Others nod. A few add some other elements. Before I know it, the classroom roars with life. I smile.

Here’s the thing. You can billow about your interests. Defend a point to death. Digress, pontificate, wax poetic. But – now forgive me, I know it hurts – no one really cares. A 1,000 word blog post riddled with rants, jargon, etc. only shoots the arrow to the X.

If I tried to convince these kids of anything, I’d lose them. Readers could abandon me, too...unless I let evolve from "my talk" to "our talk."

If I can get people arguing/chatting/dialoguing about writing, even if it's not just focused on my thoughts, I should consider myself lucky. Now we’re having a conversation.

You already have a spark in hand. Your thoughts ARE important. They glow. They shine. Yet we keep them in our fist, only letting people catch a glimpse through the cracks in our fingers.

Rest assured - the spark will suffocate unless you set it free.

Monologue will fade and eventually go out. Discourse? Now that's a more lively game.