I may be clueless, but here's some advice.

"How do I know what I think until I see what I say?" E.M. Forster

One of the 20th Century's greatest observers and chroniclers of human nature, Forster refers to writing as a creative process that helps to focus the mind and cogently organize thoughts.

And yet, as a professional communicator who, with this post officially births her own Blog Star, I have my doubts about this public mapping of my mind...

What if, by his words, Forster is not indicating that writing is his way to prepare for that "spontaneous" moment of discovery, but is instead, warning us that he does not really know his own heart and mind, and so should not be trusted until he has built his character accordingly?

Similar to Jung's theory of self-actualization, where gathering the shadowier bits from our interior landscapes and consciously integrating them, piece by piece, results in individuals of great integrity, it is plausible that many bloggers are in fact typing busily in order to reveal to themselves what they think.

Now that the Information Age has fully turned the earth of our collective consciousness, the world is routinely ploughed by legions of these so-called experts: self-help gurus, business consultants (of which I am one), advice columnists, and bloggers, writing voluminously about what they "know."

But, what is the fruit of all our labors? Mature thinking or endless blab?

A client of mine recently remarked that he believes blogging is merely a fad. His reasoning is that most will grow bored with the "hysterical" rantings of so many self-appointed snoops, snitches, and know-it-alls. For balanced insight, he believes, people will continue to rely on the "traditional" media.

Maybe so.

It is my experience that people of integrity have no need to convince others of what they believe, instead choosing simply to live their philosophies. About the more prolix bloggers among us, I often wonder if they ever pause long enough from typing into the ethers what they think they think, to explore if what they are typing is practical in their own lives.

Which is why I cast a wary eye on my own desire to blog. Is this useful to anyone, including myself?

Years of writing for hire and on deadline has taught me that by now in this piece, you should be engaged, entertained, and most of all--informed.

If I have done my job well, you also will be able to, in your own words, relate the gist of this piece to someone else over dinner tonight.

You might even decide as you recount what you've read, that you agree and would like to return to read more.

If so, let's hope I am in alignment with a Forster for whom writing is a key to unlocking the door to deeper meaning, not to exposing an eternally muddled character.

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