My Top 5 – Blogs

Please trust that I wasn’t lying in a coma over my blogging break. I have been keeping myself productive in writing other things, and reading even more than I have before. I’ve been tackling a reading list I have, which I’ve been somewhat productive on. Not to the level in which I would like, but progress is progress. I’m not a fast reader; I try to take in the most I can through the first reading. Won’t post any reviews just yet on the books I’ve read, but I will hopefully soon, once I complete the novel I’m reading now.

I’ve also been reading a lot of blogs. This is something I’ve wanted to do for a while now; post the top five blogs that I love to read and that I get the most out of. I hope that you’ll find these blogs as interesting and intriguing as I have.

5. StoryFix.Com

This blog specializes in helping writers (catering to novelists and screenwriters) create their craft. I began reading this blog a couple of months ago. I’ve been really impressed with Larry Brooks’s way of presenting writing tips. In retrospect, the tips he presents are very simple, but the tips themselves can be something that a lot of writers easily forget about. I don’t agree with absolutely everything that Mr. Brooks says, but all of his posts (yes, all of them) give me something to think about in regards to my writing. One post in particular has been very helpful to me, and I have recommended it to many of my writing peers. It’s imperative that you check out this blog if you’re a writer.

4. The Photoshop Insider Blog by Scott Kelby

Ever since I started learning the ways of the graphic artist and using Adobe, Scott Kelby has been one of the most influential photographers/Photoshop users I have seen. Being the President of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals, editor of multiple Adobe-related magazines, and writer of even more Adobe-related and photography books, Mr. Kelby has lots of work on his hands. But somehow, he finds time to update his blog almost every day, and even has guest photographers and artists guest blog with him. There can be some pretty epic posts at times, but it’s all for the benefit of the readers. If you’re interested in photography or Photoshop, this blog is a must-read.

3. The Knight Shift by Christopher Knight

This writer has it all in this blog. It doesn’t really have a set idea or theme behind it; it’s just one person’s thoughts on the things going around us in the world, for better or worse. Luckily, Mr. Knight doesn’t seem to hold many biases, especially in the political areas, which I can fully relate to. He can find the fault on any side, and he can prove it himself that he fights for what he believes in. I first met him through the subject of Star Wars, as that seems to be one of his favorite interests as well. But he talks about much, much more in his blog. Take this illuminating post for example. The formatting that Knight uses in his blog is one that I strive for with my blog writing style. I enjoy reading blogs that don’t always have a set theme in mind, where the writer isn’t afraid to state his thoughts on matters. Take a look around Chris’s blog; there’s a good chance that you’ll find something that interests you.

2. Procrastinating Writers

I have to say this up front: This blog kicks my butt with every post. And it’s not sorry about it either. There isn’t a single person in the world who isn’t guilty of procrastinating at one time or another. Writers are just one little fraction of this. What this blog aims for is giving writers the motivation to get going with your craft, to complete what you finish, and to show you that yes, you really do have the time to write, you just don’t know it. It’s always refreshing to see a new article from this blog appear in my feed. I know the article is going to be hard to swallow, but it’s never been wrong before. I mean it when I say that every aspiring writer needs to follow this blog as soon as possible. This blog isn’t all about writing, but about our very own psychology as well. The author of this blog, Jennifer Blanchard, makes it her goal to help out every aspiring writer she can reach, and even posts helpful tools to the blog, such as this productivity tool. If you’re a writer, do yourself a favor and add this blog to your RSS feed soon: don’t procrastinate on this gem.

1. The Official “Pearls Before Swine” Blog

First off, if you haven’t read a strip of the popular comic “Pearls Before Swine,” please educate yourself. The strip is arguably the best syndicated strip since “Calvin and Hobbes.” In this blog, the PBS creator, Stephan Pastis, writes about his life. This isn’t, however, the usual ruminations that you’ll find from a personal blog. You’ll find yourself laughing out loud countless times reading about Mr. Pastis’s adventures and choices that he takes, turning the most mundane situations into hilarious snippets of his life. Pastis states over and over again that the more you learn of him, the more you grow to dislike him. But I’ve found that the more I learn of him, the more I am able to appreciate that he is indeed his own character, and I can’t say that I’ve read a similar blog or testimony like his elsewhere. His blog also gives insight to the actual strips themselves at times (and yes, those can be quite humorous as well). You don’t need to read “Pearls Before Swine” to grasp the humor of this writer; it’s all there in his blog for everyone’s enjoyment (even the ones he pokes fun at and makes reference to constantly). Pastis does know how to be serious though, as shown in this memorable entry. But for the most part, prepare to laugh while reading this.

So, you know what I enjoy reading. Now it’s your turn. What blogs do you wait anxiously for to appear in your feeds?

---

Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)

• *insert slap on wrist here*
• back in blog
• Reading post 1.1