Who do I still think I am??

This one's about the bonus day and classics.

30DBC PROMPT: "FREE DAY"

What is up?? January's "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS"  is officially over (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lc4TnopiuzQ), and now we wait to see what the judges have to say. I've probably given some version of this speech every month that I've ever managed to finish a 30DBC, but it bears repeating...there are tons of talented authors registered at WDC, and I'm privileged just to share some bandwidth and server space with them. Through events like these we learn a lot about our peers, and ourselves. Some people spend money collecting fancy things. Others train to run marathons. We write. We participate and prepare just like everyone else does when they're involved with something they enjoy...we just use our fingers and our wits.

That said, as competitors all we really have to do is show up and do what we love to do. Well, that, and be somewhat decent at it, and read a few of the other entrants' entries along the way. We have the easy part, whether we're writing a paragraph or 10,000 words. It's the judges who really have the toughest chore...they have to not only read every entry in a given week (or month), but then apply The Colonel's Secret Analytical Metrics to each one, grade them out, and tally 'em up until the winner's shaken out. I know firsthand that it's not a easy gig...and especially with this crop of writers from all over WDC this month- a robust mix of big names and newcomers, from nearly every category and stage of development- a lot of hard decisions have been and will be made before the winner of one of this site's best contests is announced. That person knows one thing...they're not lucky; they're deserving. It takes a special kind of discipline to take on anything for thirty straight days, let alone also having the skills to carry that weight for this long at the highest level. Ok, maybe there's a bit of hyperbole in that there are people who might be better bloggers and certainly there are those who get paid to act like it, but in my opinion, the virtual arena we have here at WDC is the most enlightening, most enjoyable, and most entertaining level of blogging there is. Why do I say that? Simple. None of us are experts on every topic, and we may not be the greatest at what we do here- there likely aren't any paychecks at the end of this month for any of us- but we have a certain tenacity that goes along with our hearts, minds and souls that is unmatched by any other community there is. Search Google, Yahoo, Wordpress, or any other site that offers the kind of information you'll find in an official 30DBC round. Who's the winner? We are.

The key component in my sentiments? Something I've learned and seen throughout this month, believe it or not...we all make each other better. Sure, it's a "competition", and nobody enters a competition hoping not to win, but you'll never be amongst a stronger group of supporters than the people who are writing along to the same prompts as you are, day-in and day-out. These people see you at your best, and they know when you're operating at something less than that. They're the first ones to know what you're going through, and they're going to lend you advice, support, or just a shoulder if they have to. We start out on Day 1 mostly complete strangers...as days turn into weeks we're a lot closer and comfortable with each other; much like anything else in life, such as taking a new job, moving into a different neighborhood, or starting the first day of a new semester at school. Eventually we're more familiar and that helps us open things up.

I read things once in awhile from writers who say the blogging community is dying. That couldn't be further from the truth. One only has to take a look at the forums for any of the blogging groups out there on WDC to realize the we're not just surviving, but thriving. It's a great time to be a blogger on WDC.

BCF PROMPT: "What is your opinion of classic literature (Sophocles to George Orwell, and everything between)?"

There are all sorts of clichés at play here..."you can't know your future unless you know your past"; "things aren't like they used to be"; "today we lay the foundation for a brighter tomorrow", etc. And they're all worthwhile. People remember them for a reason. They endure. Just like the classics...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnAXdhQ_PDQ.

I used to have a part-time job in a bookstore, and there's a reason that certain types of works have sections of their own. Everyone still buys them, even if they're hundreds of years or mere decades old. There's something about them, whether we're forced to read them in junior high, or they're recommended by your cousin randomly, or you overhear someone discussing a passage on the news triggering your curiosity, that is captivating and meaningful. They've been read millions upon hundreds of millions of times, yet some of them seem to speak to you in a way that suggests it's just you and that book on an island for the rest of time, and you're getting along famously.

But what I really know about classic literature is that I don't make the rules. I didn't determine what constitutes something published being worthy of that designation. And there's no hard and fast rule that says if your favorite author's book sits atop the New York Times' Bestseller List for x-amount of weeks, it's guaranteed to be considered a classic. I just know what I like, and I happen to like a good amount of what would be classified as classic lit.

What I find interesting to think about is how will some of the biggest-selling books of the last decade or so be remembered in fifty or 100 years' time? How well will the Harry Potter, Da Vinci Code or other titles/series age? Will we speak of them in the same sentences as works of Shakespeare and Dickens? Will they be studied as deeply? And how will self-publishing and the internet affect the way we look at past and present literature? Will we forget over time the "legacy brands" of yesterday? I don't know.

MUSICAL BREAK!!

The end of one month and the start of another...I feel like today is a grace period of sorts. Tomorrow will signify the start of a few subtle changes to the aesthetic of this slab of verbal internet chicanery as contests and group involvements change, and one of the forums I'll be posting in daily as of Feb. 1st will be "The Soundtrack of Your Life" . If ever there were an activity on WDC that was made for this specific segment of "Who do I still think I am??" , that'd be the closest one.

This song isn't a part of what I'd consider the soundtrack of my life, but I remember a few years back I was standing outside of the apartment of the girl I was dating at the time having a smoke. I had been around WDC for a little while and was starting to come into my own as both a person and a poet (with some encouragement), and I was giving thought to how I wanted to approach writing going forward. One word popped into mind: timeless. I may struggle at times trying to get there, because not everything committed to the interwebs can be great, but that's what I hope for. I used to say I wanted kids to study me in their English textbooks someday. It's probably unlikely, but who knows?

"I'm everywhere you've never been and better than I've ever been."

THE DAILY BOX SCORE:

There goes the neighborhood! Looking forward to the Mob starting tomorrow as well...go over to the "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS"  and get you some details! #steadymobbinFeb2014

Go on and wish Jaeff | KBtW of the Free Folk a hearty congrats for winning "Invalid Item"  (sponsored by the "Blogging Circle of Friends " ). Another great Blogging Community Event, expertly run by lazymarionette. Lyn's a sly fox and I had a great time reading all of the entries, and there was no shortage of exceptional talent on board. I'd love to see something like this happen quarterly, with all four winners meeting up once a year in an even bigger "Winner Take All" sort of thing. It's an idea worth considering, if you ask me. Congrats are also in order for the semi-finalists, blainecindy, Brother Nature , and Aennaytte: Free & Wild in GoT for their effort, and I want to thank all the entrants for the opportunity I was given to read their works. It was a great experience and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

I don't really have a lot more to say...thanks to the writers, the judges, the academy, the anonymous support (today especially ), and most importantly, if you're reading this, you. Without that we're just people lookin' at computer screens, amusin' ourselves. Peace, looks like we made it, and GOODNIGHT NOW!!