THE CURIOUS CASE OF THE POPULAR BLOGGER

[Image courtesy of the lovely Leonora Roy}

 

I have found that interesting blogs are written by interesting people.

What makes an interesting person? The ability to be continually fascinated by ideas.

Take Montaigne:
Of all egotists, Montaigne, if not the greatest, was the most fascinating,
because he was the least affected and most truthful.

He desired to leave France something to be remembered by,
     something which should tell what kind of a man he was—
        what he felt, thought, suffered—and he succeeded beyond his expectations.

Good blogs pique your curiosity.
The headline grabs you. The first few sentences draw you in. 

Cultivating a sense of curiosity,
   a sense of wonder and awe at the world we live in,
      is vitally important for delivering interesting content
         day after day.

The world is teeming with so many fascinating facts that you could ponder them all day:

     Did you know that the skin of a polar bear is black and
         its fur is clear?  Why then does its fur appear white?

     Did you know that all the swans in England are owned
         by the Queen?  How cheeky of her!

     Did you know that tropical fish can live in an aquarium
         of human blood?

          How often would you have to change the human blood to keep the oxygen content up?

          What kind of smell would it give off in a few days?

          How would the fish appear in such an aquarium?

          What kind of riveting scenes appear in your writing
                mind from this fact?

What is it about a blog that makes you a regular reader?

Which bloggers feature articles that consistently attract your attention?

No matter what kind of blog or blogger it may be,

I’ve discovered a common characteristic in the best of them:
                                     curiosity.

There are so many fun facts about writing even:
    
    1) Before The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown was a pop singer and song writer.
        His second solo album was titled, Angels and Demons.

     2) J.K. Rowling had difficulty getting published.
         Finally, Bloomsburry Press agreed to publish it but
             only published 500 copies
                    for fear they wouldn't sell.

         They also requested she use initials so she wouldn't
             be recognized
                 as a female writer.
                    She has no middle name,
                        so she chose the letter K for Kathleen.

     3) Sidney Sheldon didn't start writing novels until he
            was in his fifties.

         Before then he was creating television hit shows like
         I Dream of Jeannie and The Patty Duke Show

Now I’m curious to get your feedback on the blogs you regularly read.

     What are the factors that determine a good blog for you?
 
           How important is curiosity?
          (both the blogger’s curiosity and the ability to stoke yours) in blogs?