For months, I have tried to write a successful first blog.  I first tried to write witty pieces, but their second and third drafts produced material that can only be described as lacking.  In other versions I confessed that I had no idea what I was doing, but begged my reader to trust me anyway because, ignorant or not, I intended to blog well.  (That draft was promptly discarded.  After all, who ever heard of being honest with your audience?  Laughable.)  Desperate drafts recounted stories like the time I watched a grandmother eat her grandson’s chili in silence at theBarnes and Noble Starbucks café while he played with her iPhone.  Still, others tried to incorporate all these elements, failing as miserably as if it hadn’t incorporated any at all.  As a compulsive perfectionist (a possibly hypochondriacal condition), these failed attempts and continued lack of blog, troubled me greatly.

Then, one night, as I gazed up at an overcast sky that was anything but inspiring, a solution came to me: change the rules.  Ignoring the basic principles of syntax, I decided to create my second blog first.  This would take all the pressure off the first, perfect blog, while simultaneously making any reader a returning reader.  That’s right; I’ve instantly created michellejunot.com blog groupies.  Welcome.

Now here we are, old friends with confusing roots, having a one-way dialogue.  I’ll take this time to put forth a few goals I have for our continued friendship, and then I’ll leave you to ponder what’s happened here today.

First, I do not promise perfection nor do I shy away from critique.  Like any other writer (or human being) I am constantly learning and welcome any education you can lend me.  Concerning my writing, there are some things I do well, but many more things I’d like to do better.  My goal here is not to be perfect; rather, I seek growth in skill, understanding, communication, and voice.

Second, there are two conversations I’m interested in having right now:  Use Your Words is a blog intended to question and further understand the rules of language, the practice of writing, and the rejection of the accepted standards of each.  People Watching, on the other hand, is a blog featuring observations from my favorite past time—the amusing, the crazy, and the troubling.

Third, I hope to learn what this whole “blogging thing” is all about through the creation and evolution of michellejunot.com, and welcome any feedback you might have (though this isn’t a forum or facebook, so I reserve the right to screen creative comments).

Now, as I’ve reached my intended word limit, I will leave you to your thoughts and Internet addictions.  I hope you’ll visit again next week for my third blog, Has it Really Been Three Blogs Already?

Thanks for reading, and please, use your words.