Bloggers Love to Express Their Thoughts!
Occasional comment compulsion is a common occurrence among thoughtful readers and bloggers, who do, after all, tend to become a bit more involved in the content they read than the average person does—and who tend to have a little more to say about the topics written about by other bloggers than the average reader does, as well. Such bloggers also (quite understandably) have a greater stake in the comments left on their own blogs than other people do. All of the above might be expected to create somewhat of a tendency for a blogger to get a little carried away with comments every now and then.
But OCCD is slightly different, a little more regular—or rather, incessant—than the type mentioned above. OCCD is a malady that can strike a blogger at any time—particularly when his or her mind is otherwise occupied—which can get in the way of rational thought.
OCCD Signs and Symptoms: How Many Do You Exhibit?
What are the symptoms of OCCD? Read on and see how many of them describe you.
Are you so into commenting that you
•Reply to a five-line comment with a five-paragraph response?
•Reply to a five-word comment with a five-paragraph response?
•Post blog posts in your comments box?
•Post blog posts in other bloggers’ comments boxes?
•Feel you have to comment on every single post a fellow blogger writes?
•Forget that the smiley face icon often means “not to be taken seriously” and go on and on with a serious response?
•Neglect writing posts on your blog because you’re too busy with marathon commenting?
If any of these scenarios describe you, it may be time to take a break!
Happy non-compulsive commenting!
Jeanne
P.S. I have to admit that, though the numbers may not be perfectly accurate, at one time or another, I've been guilty of every one of the above! How about you?
Did you enjoy this post? Have any other telltale signs of an obsessive commenter to add to those above? We'd love to hear them--really!
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Acrostic Poetry: A Potentially Powerful Art Form
Acrostic poetry is an unusual poetic form, yet one that holds great potential for conveying the poet's ideas in a particularly compact way. By the same token, when its words are chosen carefully and wisely, an acrostic poem can present its message with real impact.
A while back, I participated in an exercise in acrostic poetry in which I wrote four different poems, all of which were built from and based on the word "discrimination." It was a fascinating philosophical exercise as well as an interesting study in choosing and using the right words to convey an idea when word choices are limited not only by the intended thought but also by the list of appropriate words a given poet can devise which contain the correct initial letter. It can be a challenge--though a very intriguing one!
My four poems follow a brief topical introduction, in modified Q&A form. Perhaps these samples of acrostic poetry will inspire you to attempt this form if you haven't before or revisit it if you have.
First, A Few Thought-Provoking Questions & Answers
Why do people use stereotypes?
People stereotype because it's neat, tidy, and simple, because it requires little thought, because it confirms their personal prejudices, and most importantly, because it doesn't require them to get to know the person in question as an individual.
Why do people judge others? Do they think they’re perfect?
People judge others precisely because they themselves aren't perfect. If they were, they wouldn't.
Next, A Few Thought-Provoking Acrostic Poems
I felt that the following exercise in acrostic poetry yielded some powerful ideas; so I thought I'd share these four poems here. These were a few of my thoughts on discrimination, with each line of each poem consisting of one word which starts with a different letter from the word "discrimination." A very fascinating poetic form, since so much meaning must be packed into so few words! (You'll note that my first attempt was a bit more abstract and somewhat obscure; whereas the others were more precisely focused on the topic.)
Desperately
I
Sit,
Cultivating
Random
Imaginings,
Mental
Illusions
Noiselessly
Answering
Trembling
Impressions
Of
Nothingness.
Direct
Insults
Separate
Closely
Related
Individuals,
Ministering
Instability,
Negativity,
And
Tension,
Instead
Of
Nobility.
Deliberately
Insisting
Someone
Cannot
Really
Inherently
Meet
Individual
Notions,
"Acceptable"
Targeting
Infiltrates
Our
Nature.
Dangerous
Illusions
Sabotage
Carefully
Reasoned
Ideas,
Meandering
Intrusively
Nearby,
As
Truth
Is
Obligingly
Negated.
Why Not Give Acrostic Poetry a Try?
Of course, acrostic poetry doesn't require such a negative or dramatic topic. This was simply the exercise I chose to work on at the time, since it had been presented on a website I was visiting. Should you decide to try it, feel free to change the topic, if you like--that is unless you'd enjoy the challenge of trying your hand at this one.
Pensively,
Jeanne
Did you enjoy this post? Ever try your hand at acrostic poetry? Would you like to? What do you think of this poetic form? Please feel free to share your thoughts!