On Writing, Living, and Translating

I was so happy to find a book in my mailbox today! It was The Writing Life by Annie Dillard. She writes in the beginning of her disdain for writers who refer to their writings as works in progress. Ms. Dillard, I thought, would not like my blog. It is forever and always a work in progress. After writing one post, I always plan to write another within the week. Maybe I am not really a writer. But, then again, I write. I see the writing I do as translating-trying to put my thoughts and my circumstances into words so that the reader won't have to be with me to be familiar with my thoughts and my surroundings. Blogging is its own kind of writing. It is similar to writing an autobiography, except there is an urgency. I don't want to wait years and years to gather my writings from each day and collect them into a book. I'd rather write like this, for an audience I know, an audience that can respond immediately.