Midday Naps Make for Midnight Blog Posts

To Whom it May Concern,

I am writing this to you, late at night (because I took an afternoon nap and can't fall asleep) from my bed.

A few days ago in class, the topic of my blog posts came up. I was flattered; practically all of the comments were positive and my classmates genuinely seemed to like what I post. After some joking around, the question of why my posts "run so long and so deep" came up. A fair question without a doubt. Most students would write (pun) this blogging assignment off and only do the minimum amount of work possible. I understand this notion, but I don't agree with it. 

When I learned that we were to have a blog and update it weekly, I groaned. More hoops to jump through, no? Indeed I though Mr. R was some devil sitting atop a mountain with pitchfork and thesaurus in hand, yearning for the opportunity to rain down the fires of red-pen (or the digital equivalent) upon the meekest of students. I couldn't have been more wrong.

The blogging assignment soon became one of my favorite things to do. Honestly.  I took advantage of the opportunity to write and express my feelings in ways only the written word could depict. I'll admit the tone of my posts range from sardonic to content, insightful to damming, and perhaps even black to white. Oftentimes I don't think of what I write until I am seated at my desk, with headphones over ear. When the tunes start ah'flowing, the writin' starts ah'goin'. 

Now, to address why I write so much.

After a sickness I was confined to my house with no physical activity for six months. For a fourteen year old boy, this was like being sent to the hole in prison. The hours spent alone seemed to outnumber those with company. My days were routine and ran way too long. Sometimes I did my homework twice; an empty house and long hours of inactivity does strange things to an active mind. There came a point when I wrote three different versions of the same paper only because I was bored out of my mind and needed something to do. 

And that was the first month. 

Upon the suggestion of a teacher, I began to write to express what I felt. Prior to that point, I had been a somewhat mediocre writer that really stuck to the tried and true tropes of the genre, but after that conversation I realized that I could get more than a grade form a piece of paper; personal fulfillment was a few thousand words away. So I wrote. I wrote about how I felt. I wrote stories about aliens. I wrote papers on music and Elvis and how middle school girls would impersonate them in their bedrooms. I wrote because it was therapeutic. It was the best thing that I could have done with my time. Its given me another outlet that I can't graduate from. 

In short, I write to make myself a better person and to let my ideas flow freely. I use this blog as an opportunity to get thoughts onto paper, and express how I may feel at the time. I know that my audience is somewhat limited, and it doesn't bother me at all. It is gratifying to see the number of views rise, but I would write even if Mr. R didn't check to my posts or even if no one saw what I wrote. 

I guess I just like having a blog. 

Regards,

AF