way to go.

Happy Poetry Picnic. 

Here is my entry
http://jackedwardspoetry.blogspot.com/2011/09/rose.html 

However, once I got out of school my English improved due to working in IT. And once I got on the Internet and began talking to people around the globe I felt a need to get a better handle on the language. Of course once I met Holly it was all a natural, and accelerated, progression from there on out. We wrote each other page long emails. Now I had an incentive! But it wasn’t until my move to the US and being fully immersed in an English speaking culture that I really made it my own. I always loved classic English literature and I was now able to read and comprehend it its original form. More yet, being a writer and having a thorough grasp of English opens many possibilities previously not accessible.

The funny thing now is that even after moving back to Germany my mind keeps processing everything in English. I dream in English, I think in English and I often start conversations in English — with Germans. And Germans in turn often speak to me in English now mistaking me for an American (and even after revealing that I’m German they keep talking to me in English). Though there will always be a certain veil which never fully lifts. For example, as much as I dislike watching movies dubbed in German now I sometimes am surprised how slightly different, deeper, I feel about a scene in German. It doesn’t happen often but certainly every now and then. I believe that unless someone grows up truly bilingual there will always be, under certain circumstances, a favoritism towards the predominate language. German will always be my core language but it certainly has now been thickly encased in English; I very much enjoy that.

Concerning a writer’s voice I couldn’t agree more with you as well. I would say that those who write from their heart without letting themselves be influenced by the apparent anonymity of the web (and the connected enticement of persona play) will project an emotionally tangible image of themselves. It is that voice that draws in their audience, providing them with a high level of trust.

Thank you very much for this conversation!

I agree with the difficulty that using text alone can cause when trying to be yourself online. I think it’s much easier to feel the energy of a person in a letter because its physically been in their hand.
However I think online communication can still be imbued with our own uniqueness and impart feelings and sincerity to the reader of your writing.
It takes perhaps a different kind of tuning in, but with Holly’s work fir example and many other bloggers I love, their personality and character and energy is felt very much through their online presence. Maybe it comes down to knowing our selves well and having a distinct & certain voice as a result — then it comes through to others stronger, breaking down any barriers, disolving distance and is felt in-between the words we write.
Thank you for this time to reflect,
Kat x

You bring up a crucial point for every writer to consider: the writer’s voice. Finding your voice is a key point in Holly’s Blogging Your Way class and is something that warrants special attention on the web. Due to the lack of physical interaction and the essential emotional information derived from it it can be much more enticing to take on an alternate persona. This is certainly not unique to the web, it happens in print as well, but the nature of the online environment does encourage it more.

Part of the reason why I wrote this post was Holly’s own experience during her book tour. Many of those coming to her signings expressed that she is the same in person as what they perceived online and that it made them feel happy to know that. And even if it’s not possible to get that face-to-face interaction any psychical component (emotional feedback) can provide confirmation of first impressions such as hearing someone’s voice as you related.

Also, your feelings of getting your point across easier at times through writing is mutually shared. I don’t believe it contradicts the E type personality as important ideas and feelings often require time to find the right words to express them fully. In that regard writing to me is akin to composing music — a complex piece needs time to warrant full emotional impact (think symphony). An impromptu piece can have much emotional impact as well but it depends on the venue and thus the comfort level. So do conversations.

Thank you again Cecelia for sharing your thoughts, I thoroughly enjoyed reading them.