While I believe it will be easy for you to choose a topic you are passionate about, the tricky part of this assignment is how to write a post while not pissing off 50% of the electorate. (For example, I have been knocking around a "binders of women" post in my head all week but haven't had the cahones to write it because I'm not sure half of my audience - my wife included - wouldn't hate me afterwards.)
All of what I have written here assumes what subject you are choosing to address. And you know what they say about assuming. Do not feel the need to cover politics. There are plenty of other timely topics that you may be passionate about. Nevertheless, the judges have been instructed to score and rank your posts based on your writing and the effectiveness of your argument, not on your opinion. And here are the judges assigned with that task:
First up is the better half of my blogging bromance, John from Daddy's in Charge:
"I want an opinion; a strong one. I don't necessarily have to agree with it, but let me know how you feel. This is a good week to make us think. My wife doesn't always think I use my brain and this is as good a time as any to get the blood flowing up there. Stick to your guns."Amy, the Non-Stop Mom, managed to stop long enough to submit her thoughts in complete sentences this time around: (I kid because I love, Amy.)
"Make it informative, make me think, but don't make me click through a bunch of links to get the background story or additional information. Watch the grammar and punctuation, and don't write a full-length novel and expect to keep my attention."I am also proud to introduce this week's guest judge. It actually gives me butterflies to write her name because I think so highly of her. Klonnie from The Klonopin Chronicles had this to say:
"If it's not abundantly clear by now, my going-in position is 'support mental health or I'll kill you'... Basically I need to laugh. Or at least smile. That shouldn't be too difficult considering all the humor that's been coming down the pike lately. Binders full of material, actually. I'd like it to say that spelling and neatness count. It has to look good to me and it has to flow naturally. I would like to hear the blogger's voice, but I don't want them to scream at me."
Klonnie understands that this week's topic might not be the best way to showcase humor. Do not feel the need to make your posts funny. We all agreed that "entertaining" is a better way to set parameters for this week in that regard. But if you choose a funny topic, by all means have at it.
Karin from Pinwheels and Poppies, the one who asked for "sexy talk" last time around, is not kidding around this week:
"I'm going to be fact-checking the hell out of their posts. That's for sure. I'm also looking for honesty and if they say that they support something, I want to know why. I hate the blind faith some people have in certain issues. I don't want to hear that you're against abortion because "the Bible tells me so." I want you to dig deeper and really express your thoughts and opinions of whichever topic you choose. Misinformation and sheep-like statements will not go over well with me."Next we have Isis, The Bay Area Mommy:
"I just want them to be able to express their opinion (or the lack of it) well. I don't have to agree with them since everyone's entitled to their own opinion. But they'd have to make it interesting -- which doesn't necessarily mean they'd have to be funny. Just interesting enough to get me through to the the end of their post. Oh, and I hate long paragraphs."
Cat from Honey Badger Press also joins the panel again to "serve you some truth with a side of butt hurt." Remember: she's the one who "is not here to blow sunshine up your ass."
This is a double elimination. So may the judges and the votes be really in your favor.
