Friday, January 27, 2006
Blue Like What?
11:49 PM
I got something in the mail this summer from my brother. This is the kid that I used to torture on a regular basis. I know for a fact that he hated me for a good portion of his life so the gesture of spending the money on an envelope and postage not to mention the time and energy of mailing something to me caught me by surprise. We get along well these days but we don't send things via post too often. In fact I never have. I wondered what he could have sent me. It was a book. Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. What the? I like music but I've never been into jazz. There was a handwritten note that said he enjoyed the book and he thought I would like it as well. He also added that my writing reminded him of the way the author wrote. WOW. That's a way to give an amateur blogger a big head! I was so impressed and complimented I put the rest of the mail down and started on the book. I read two chapters in two days but I was in the middle of an 1100 page fantasy book so sooner or later Miller fell by the wayside.
I got back to it this last week. I loved it. I love the honesty that Don writes with. He writes so openly and conversationally that I feel like I know him so I am gonna call him "Don" because in my mind we are on a first name basis. My first thoughts were "Man this guy has been in my head. I have been thinking half of this stuff myself. I should have written this first." I didn't see much similarity between his writing and mine. Sometime I thought of Kerouac which is weird because I don't enjoy his style too much. The more I read the more I would see some similarities. It was hard to tell if it was real or just because the thoughts and experiences were the same.
I got back to it this last week. I loved it. I love the honesty that Don writes with. He writes so openly and conversationally that I feel like I know him so I am gonna call him "Don" because in my mind we are on a first name basis. My first thoughts were "Man this guy has been in my head. I have been thinking half of this stuff myself. I should have written this first." I didn't see much similarity between his writing and mine. Sometime I thought of Kerouac which is weird because I don't enjoy his style too much. The more I read the more I would see some similarities. It was hard to tell if it was real or just because the thoughts and experiences were the same.
I was talking to a buddy of mine and I told him about this book. He had just finished it and said he wanted to show me his favorite part. I got excited and said "That's great because I want to show you mine." He said he couldn't remember the page but he remembers the content. It is the excerpt from the play that Don wrote. I was crushed because I hadn't even read that part. He told me that was the most beautiful thing he had ever read and that he was trying to remember it. I tried to read it again but I only got halfway through it this time. I guess it is too sophisticated for me or something.
*sigh* I am no Donald Miller. I write like I talk. That is my gift and my curse. It is easy to read but I will never get more advanced and I probably write at a junior high level. This is probably why I got so many C's on philosophy papers. Don's gift is that he is able to write to his audience. It is obvious that he is also able to write in more than just one style when needed to and that excerpt shows it. That is what makes Blue so great. It really hits the mark while being totally accessible. He isn't preaching at you but rather he is telling you about his life. It is almost like watching a movie. When I read my friends' blogs and stuff they seem so fancy to me. Like they have a college education or something(they do). I was totally flattered to be compared to a real author and I think that he and I would get along great at a coffee shop or bar (rumor has it my brother had coffee with him). But I am a bit sad to realize that I will never be able to write quite like him. Then I buck up and realize that you guys are still here so I must be doing something right.
Seriously though. If you like my style at all, read his book. If you don't like my blog, read his book.
You have a booger hanging out of your nose.
If you just touched your nose, read his book!
You have a booger hanging out of your nose.
If you just touched your nose, read his book!
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8 comments:
You're an awesome writer with your own style.
Mom
You still didn't answer my question. Is AllPeers something you're creating? Also, if it is, what is the difference between that and Streamload?
I have nothing to do with allpeers it just looks cool. I dont know what streamload is.
i had some friends of friends who were friends with him. so we all met up. they stayed with his friends while they were visiting in oregon from texas.
yeah - i thought you'd enjoy the book. i'm glad you did. i felt the same way about the things he said. the things he wrote were things i've tried to tell people before but maybe didn't understand myself. i liked how he finds "normal" things in life and explains why they arn't just normal. things people typically pass by. you do that sometimes. also you guys dress the same and have the same build - shorts 24/7, shirt, hat.
Oh ok man, Streamload is basically the same thing as AllPeers and it's been around for quite some time now. Check it out if you got the chance. Ya know, if you're not busy reading books. By the way, you've got to stop reading books and start waiting for the movies to come out! Don't you know books spoil the movie! Haha.
Allpeers will just plug into your browser so you don't have to have another application open. Plus no subscription, nothing to sign up for, no file size limit. It is like file sharing on your home network.
I like your writing style. Hey, it could be worse… you could rely heavily on photos to get people to your site and not focus on a lot of copy. But you don’t. You have a distinct writing style with interesting subjects that have people coming back for more.
Grod-
Blue Like Jazz is a great read; when you finish it you should read "Searching for God Knows What" by Don. I have only been into the first chapter, A Fine Wine, but it is more entertaining and, I have heard, just as meaningful. I was thinking some of the same things as you were reading Blue; this guy is putting pen to paper and saying a lot of things regarding faith, love, and God that I agree with but haven't been able to voice.
Have you read those Ravi Conversations yet?
We never did get our book group off of the ground, but maybe this would be a good time to talk about it again.. there is some good literature out there, fiction or non, that we could have fun discussing - maybe even in an online forum.
cheers man - the best part about your writing, by the way, is that you aren't a donald miller or george r.r. martin, but the guy who was the kid that I, and everybody else, grew up with. when you write about copyright infringement or your baby girl's spitup you are making a real connection with myself and anybody else who has made that baby girl cry or watched you rip off the music industry (haha).
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