Every now then then I look at the category of the posts I write and think.
- Where did that come from?
- Should I really be writing about that?
When I signed up for the Twisted Nether wiki blog directory, I needed to choose a category. I chose Mage, for obvious reasons, but every now and then I wonder whether I should be more specific (there are no blogs specifically listed as Fire Mage blogs, and as much as Zupa may exert mind control to convince me to go Frost, or Larisa start a good argument for Arcane, I am and always will be a Fire Mage).
Yet then the opposite thought occurs to me. If I was a Fire Mage looking for advice, then this blog isn’t going to be a huge amount of help.
Likewise as much as I dabble in auctioneering, crafting, raiding, Warlock twinking, addon and hell even Druid posts, I am certainly not representative of any of those types of blogs.
So where do I get the good sauce (yes the spelling mistake was intentional) that feeds this insane hobby of a WoW blog?
Blogs
I read blogs, too many blogs with too many good posts, whether full page diatribes or single screenshots. I read Mage blogs, Druid, Priest, Hunter, Pet, Warlock, Crafting, WoW Economy etc. You name it, if it’s WoW related I am probably reading it. Every post in detail? Hardly, but I have a look and if I enjoy the read, I keep on reading.
Sometimes the sauce of insanity is the post title, or the subject matter, or sometimes it’s a warped part of my magely brain that takes a phrase out of context and turns it into a post.
Blog comments
Often a blog post covers a topic so well I have nothing to contribute, until I read a reader’s comment. If they are a blogger themselves, they might expand on the comment themselves, but whoever they are, if they toss the crazy ketchup on my thought process, I will be writing.
Blog community
BlogAzeroth has weekly shared topics. Sometimes they appeal, sometimes they don’t. Sometimes I read the topic without reading the full concept and go off on my own tangent.
I think of these as creative writing triggers, and love to get my teeth into something that I otherwise wouldn’t think about, let alone write about.
Forums
I used to be an avid forum browser, but between the high class WoW themes (making them unreadable at work) and the pile of blogs I peruse, I don’t get much time to read through them these days.
However in those rare occasions I do find a gem (either beneficial post or example of inbred stupidity) I will at least draw upon the insanity to propel another post out of my ether.
My WoW experiences
An obvious sauce. The good times, the bad times, the quiet times, the quirky and surprising times. Of course we can’t forget the special events (which I tend to avoid as the blogsphere becomes quickly saturated, although Hallows End would appear to be an exception).
My family, work or life in general
My son is still a Gnome. He’s short, inquisitive, curiously destructive.
My wife is a boss mob, one to be stealthed around where possible, tackled fully buffed, or the target of an exhausting reputation grind.
Work, well work can be like grinding for old world rep – lots of effort for little return, or it can be like a six month grind at a raid instance, plenty of 1% wipes but joyful when the boss (I mean project here, not my leader) goes down and I am still standing.
There are plenty of other sauces of insanity: on trains; in shops; on the road. Sometimes spicy, sometimes sour, real life insanity has so many wonderful parallels to WoW insanity.
Newspapers
Yeah, real world new can sometimes be inspirational, just in a different way. The topic post might not bear any resemblance to the original muse, but once I get a taste for a topic, I start writing in my head.
Who ever would have thought of using the google searches that reach your blog as sauces for insane inspiration.
Well not me, but whichever blogger inspired the insanity in me, thankyou… You have providers me with the sauce that they will spread to nearly 70 posts, and there could be more, ohhh yeah, I never need to think of a topic ever again, Google gives me the crap sauce every day.
But I can’t do that to you forever… Can I?
Thin air
Yep, sometimes my tired deranged brain just comes up with stuff that should never see the light of say. Sort of like mixing sweet & sour sauce with soy and chocolate sauce.
I think this is one of those posts, one of those essays you write in high school when you can’t think of anything else to write (problem is I can, so don’t ask me why I am writing this).
You the ones that end up with:
Thump.
I woke up as I fell out of bed.
The end
Gnome and Out!
Hehe! I spit my coke out reading about the wife mob. Many of my wow friends have to deal with wife aggro.
Nice read!
Mmmm, sauce.
Inspiration for blogging is always a toughie for me. Part of the reason is because the focus of my blog right now is so narrow, and I’m not aided by by current enforced game absence. Unfortunately I always find blogging communities such as TN and BA extremely intimidating because the creative writing prowess of those who make up the community is so far in advance of my own, for which I naturally blame my Maths studies and Saturday morning cartoons.
I tend instead to concentrate on ‘news’ posts, mainly because they’re bloody easy and relatively useful, but I’m consciously aware of how weaksauce that is when comparing myself to other WoW-bloggers.
I guess that’s the biggest flaw of the Blogosphere is: the great content is just too much fun to read and comment upon rather than going and writing your own. Like what I’m doing right now rather than writing a post on Librams….
Damn you Gnomeaggedon
*shakes fist*
To make a blog really enjoyable I definitly think some mad spicing with chocolate and ketchup sauce helps a lot. You need that personal flavour, no matter how strange it is.
If there’s one thing that bores me when it comes to blogs it is blogs that plainly are referring news. “MMO-champion says…”. Well I read MMO-champion myself, why should I read the same thing on a blog? Unless some more flavour is added…
The best blogs are those that gets inspiration from all sorts of things. Just like your does. I don’t mind the googled stuff but I long for your return som they’re mixed up with other stuff more frequently. With “real” posts, such as this one.
I have no idea why I write my blog or where the inspiration comes from. Sometimes I don’t write for five days. Other times I write two posts in a day. I think part of the motivation behind my blogging is that I’m not always around people who like to talk shop when I’d like to. When I’m at work or with my family, they could care less about how my rep grind with Sporregor is coming along or even what that means to begin with. So I blog it.
The origins of my blog stemmed from wanting to rant about not getting picked for raids…never about “I’m the best mage in the world and I have limitless knowledge to bestow upon you!” If you’ve ever read my blog…I would guess only about 30% of the post end up mage focused.
I write about what tickles my fancy at the time. Sometimes it might be a guide (My Outland DK Gear Guide rocked the traffic charts for me much like your warlock twink guide), or it may just be some new PTR info upcoming for mages.
I’m always thinking about what would make a good blog post and what would just be a waste of time…its just finding the time to write…work, family and actual game time (raiding) takes up a good chunk. I made the decision awhile back that I am not going to force myself into a schedule…I will post when I have something worth posting about. Its worked out pretty well so far.