If You Like To Write

                                                                 If You Like To Write

I can’t get enough of Around the Foghorn. The creative outlet it provides for me, goes far beyond just doing something I like, and finding a sweet marriage in the art of writing, combined with a passion for the subject.

The angst I suffered in the beginning, trying to master the tech component, has completely faded, leaving me with not only the freedom to pursue any aspect of the Giants I choose, but the ability to do so. I can be light and breezy, as in the “There is no “D” in Bumgarner” piece, or the “Giants in good shape, for the shape they’re in” article, which resonates with an established comfort zone, that allows for irreverence and humor.

On the other hand, I can analyze an upcoming game, series, team, player, or situation, in a sonorous tone, pontificating sagely on the advisability of pursuing this course of action, as opposed to that one, or allowing “conventional baseball wisdom” to dictate the appropriate course of forward progress.

And I can do it effortlessly. I can be reading about the Orange and Black, or watching a game, or listening in on the MLB Network, and be struck with an inspiration, and half-an-hour later, I have written, edited and posted a piece. Even if I have already written on the subject, there are times when it is immaterial.

I wrote an article on Pablo Sandoval, and how he deserved to be paid what he was asking: 4,200 page-views. It took me about an hour to write and post it. I did another one on Timmy Lincecum in half the time: 3,200 page-views. That’s a rush. 

Of course, for every one I write that is fabulously successful, there are ten which are more normal, between two and six hundred page-views apiece. It used to be that I was happy to get forty or fifty views on my regular blog, so what I am seeing now, is astronomical.

I have yet to earn a dime for my writing, but that has never been what it is about; rather, it is about creating. The writing process is creative, the posting creates opportunity for expression, and the frequent exchanges with readers keeps the pace lively. I love everything about it.

I find myself pondering the use of such a tool as Around the Foghorn, at the middle and high school level, in trying to get kids who struggle with writing, to buy into the process. Having kids share personal anecdotes of attending games, having them write about a favorite player, or sharing little league stories, might be one way to unblock paths which have prevented kids from succeeding in the past.

I also wonder who else out there is like me, and wants to write more than just a journal. Baseball may seem trivial and unimportant in the big scheme of things, but life does not always have to be fixated on the big picture; sometimes the little things can loom just as large.

Joining Around the Foghorn was a bigger step for me, than it would have been for most. That being said, I’m here, and you’re not.

If you like to write, and you like baseball, even if it is-gasp-a team other than the Giants, then you may want to think about getting into cyber-publishing. It’s fun and light-weight, but can be serious too; it’s totally up to you.

So give it some thought, and if you are interested, give me a shout, and I’ll hook a brother up. Or a sister, if she’s so inclined.