Molly Wizenberg is my new hero. She writes a column for Bon Appetit, "Cooking Life," about a recipe/dish that is meaningful to her and the stories behind it. I have read her column for a while and always noticed that she was listed as "author of the award-winning blog, 'Orangette.'" Yesterday, I finally took a look at Orangette. Unfortunately, Ms. Wizenberg is taking a break from blogging this summer, so I could only read the archives. What I found was truly inspiring. It made me think (knock on wood) that I had a chance as a blogger, too; rather, that we all have a chance.
For starters, her blog did not start out as award-winning; it started like my blog did, or like any blog did. Her first entry was like any first entry, saying (I paraphrase, "Hi, I'm starting a blog, and this is my purpose." Her title came from a candy that was sitting on her desk while she was nervously trying to choose a title, username, and password for her blog. The way she described starting a blog resonates with me.
Another thing that reassured me when I read her blog is her easy writing style. Her blog is not a series of well-crafted essays (which are intimidating to try to produce and post on-line). Instead, it's a stream-of-consciousness analysis of her life with just enough focus to put a title at the top and call it a post. That is the kind of writing that fills my diaries and that feels natural to me.
Since I have only read "Orangette" for a day, these are just my first impressions. But, from what I've read, I get the feeling that Ms. Wizenberg started the blog in order to write about her life and what's meaningful to her. Because she loves food, it became a food blog. I stand corrected: at the beginning, she already had interest in food writing.
Though Ms. Wizenberg may have had an idea of "Orangette's" subject before she started, no one could have predicted its success or where it would take her. It's wonderful to read her blog posts before and after she became popular. It's not only a blog about food. The post-modern view of the blog would be that it's about how one's writing changes as one gains fame and recognition.
In my blog, I hope to write about all the different things that inspire me and see where it leads. Disclosure: Katie Crenshaw is a nom de plume.
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