Who is the God of Blogging, Anyway?

So I mentioned yesterday that I have been spending a lot of time these last couple weeks in introspection and analyzing my own writing work.  In addition to what I shared yesterday, there is a whole lot more I discovered about myself, and how I want to do my “work.”  And I am going to share quite a bit more of it with you in the next few days because I have a whole lot to say about it. Imagine that, ME having a lot to say? Weird, huh? (Facebook fans, insert LOL here.)

One of the biggest things I found is that I need to throw some of the rules about blogging out the window.  I’d like to know, anyway, who is this “God of Blogging”, the “GOB,” that created the rules?  And what the hell does the “GOB” know about me, and what I have to say to the world? This “God of Blogging” preaches that I should condense everything I have to say to 500 or 600 words--or less? Are you kidding me? That’s simply not gonna happen, at least not for me, not every time. I am a WRITER! I WRITE!--A LOT!-- and I can’t always explain what I want to share in 500 words or less. That's too long for you,   Mr. God of Blogging? Well, you are aware that you don’t have to read my blog, right? (Although I do hope you will.)

But this is MY blog, and I created it for the express purpose of helping ME in my search to find the writer inside myself. And you are more than welcome to come along for the journey Mr. GOB, and I truly hope you do because travelling is always more fun in a group. But I am the driver and we’re going to go where I choose to steer us. You have to ride shotgun. And please try to remember, nobody likes a backseat driver. Don’t like the scenery from where you are? Want to go a different direction? Well, you can open the door and hop out of the car anytime you like. Hell, I’ll even pull over for you. But I’m certain of one thing; this journey is going to be the most fun I’ve ever had, and maybe it will be for you too. So stick with me kid, we’re going places you never imagined!

And this “GOB” of blogging (I'm starting to confuse that with S.O.B.) also says I “devalue” my work and am perceived as less articulate when I use "naughty" words? What!? “GOB” doesn’t like it when I use an expletive? Well then, the “GOB” can fuck off! Once again, he doesn’t have to read my blog. Sometimes I say hell, or damn, or shit, and even (*GASP*) fuck!!!  And a few other words that are considered inappropriate. Obviously, I know how to make substitutions, and I also know how to make good use of the “theasaurus” tool. And I don’t use them constantly, but sometimes they do help to make a point. So from now on, when it’s a time I would normally use such a word in conversation, it’s going to be used in my blog too. No more censoring myself, or worrying about offending people, or editing and rewriting my work to be as politically correct and generally acceptable as possible.

Because even though I know how to be a “proper lady,” when needed, I admit that I am a little bit socially offensive. Yes, that's right, I'm taboo. I’m a multi-tattooed Harley rider and a "party-boater" who's been seen in a thong bikini (or slightly topless) more than once, a crazy dog-lady, and a traveler living abroad, an "ex-pat" in a foreign country. I’m a bold entrepreneur who fought the State of Iowa (and won!), and then helped re-write the laws for an entire industry in my state. I’m a former prison staffer on a violent sex offender unit (working with rapists and murderers), and until recently, a secret survivor of sexual abuse as a child and physical abuse as an adult. I am also a product of a twice-broken home, the undeniable black sheep of the family, the only girl in a family of five brothers. I'm a "near-death" survivor of a ruptured brain aneurysm that should have killed me, and yet I still smoke cigarettes (insert another *GASP*) and I drink alcohol too, occasionally more than I should. I'm on my third marriage--yes, I said third (if you count my first marriage of four months), and I’m childless by choice. I’m a social renegade who carries a knife everywhere I go, and am not afraid to use it. I can be a scrappy little bitch, and sometimes I swear like a truck driver. I am a rule-breaker, a booty-shaker, and a path-maker. Very rarely am I the peace-maker. And, yes, (sometimes) I eat cheesecake for breakfast. There are a lot of socially questionable things are simply part of who I am and what makes me tick, and I am not going to hide them any longer.

So from here forward, I intend to share ALL of those things. I'm going to tell my story, the whole story, to bare my soul to you, dear readers, even the ugly parts. From now on, if you choose to stick with me, and although this blog is still primarily for me, it will also be for you. I’m going write as if I’m speaking to my best friends, my “people,” my traveling buddies, the ones who “get me”--and I'm going to speak as if we are the only people in the world who matter. And I’ll just have to hope that there are other people out there who might also be interested in what I have to say and join us on this awesome journey. If you're one of them, hop on in, there’s still plenty more room left in the vehicle!