Ten Questions with Brian of My Tears Spoiled My Aim

1. Describe your blog in five sentences or less.
This blog is primarily an outlet for my thoughts, opinions and creative endeavours. Granted, nearly everything is presented with a decidedly liberal slant, but I try to temper the political opinions with plenty of photography and art work that reflect my daily life in New York City. Having spent time as an academic, I place high emphasis on the quality of the writing that goes into the blog. Moreover, I try to do more than fill pages with mindless memes and surveys, although they do appear on occasion. The bottom line: my goal is to to say something a little more substantive than your run-of-the-mill blog.

2.Link us to one post from your blog that best defines who you are.
“Here is the church, here is the steeple…”

3. What sets you apart from other bloggers?
I guess the unique thing about my blog is the breadth of subject matter I cover. I have so many interests/hobbies that I’m never at a loss for something to say (although sometimes I should probably keep my mouth shut and my hands off the keyboard). As a result, one can find posts on art, family, photography, politics, travel, history, religion. Just about any subject is fair game. (Call it the benefits of a liberal arts education.)

4. When and how did you first discover blogging?
I have read blogs for years and had repeatedly promised myself that I would start my own. However, not until last January, when I was thinking about the New Year’s resolutions I never make, did I finally realize that promise.

5. What is your biggest pet peeve related to blogging or the internet?
Anonymous commentors. If you have something to say on a blog – whether it’s mine or someone elses – why say it anonymously. Grow a pair and leave your name, an email address, or a URL. This is particularly true for negative commentors who rant and rave and then don’t have the intellectual courage to identify themselves!

6. Name one plugin, blogging widget, or service that you can’t live without.
I’m not really wed to any particular plugin or widget. I’ll try just about anything if it will make posting easier.

7. If you could choose anyone, living or dead, to write a guest post for your blog,who would it be and why?
I’d ask Jimmy Carter to write on the current state of affairs in Washington. I’d also ask him to write on being a Southerner, which would be appropriate given the title of my blog.

8. How has blogging made you a better person?
I don’t think it has made me a “better” person, but it certainly has made me a saner person. Although some of my posts cover the mundane, I’ll often write about subjects in which the process of organizing my thoughts and choosing my words proves very cathartic. Indeed, it’s almost as good as therapy, without the co-pays and trips on the subway to a doctor’s office. Blogging has also improved my writing, the quality of which had suffered a bit after ten years away from academe.

9. What are your tips for becoming a better blogger?
Write regularly! Make a commitment to post on a consistent basis. There are too many blogs out there that are updated so infrequently. If you’re really going to do this, make time for it. Otherwise, why bother? And why should anyone want to visit if you update only twice a month?

10. Name one great blog that you read on a regular basis. What makes it unique?
Oh god! I read so many, how will I pick? I’ll break the rules and pick two, for very distinct reasons. For visuals, I always check out Chromasia. The quality of the photographs is inspiring and the quality of the photo-technical how-tos is unsurpassed. For the sheer joy of reading, there’s Hiromix_X, because she’s so honest about her personal journey.

Categories: Art & Music, Personal, Ten Questions