It's Friday, So Today We Shall Ramble About WRITING

FREE VERSE FRIDAY 

I used to think that my students thought it was great when I would allow them to "free write." Looking back, I wonder if any of them thought it was any different from regular writing. You learn a lot by observing! But it's Friday, so it's free verse Friday for Rick's Blog.

Billy Joel has been on my playlist since 1977. 

Music My Way

I was listening to a podcast recently and learned that the music you listen to and enjoy at the age of 19ish to 20ish is the music you will enjoy your whole life. I can't say that the music I listened to in 1991-1992 was any different from the music I have always listened to. Now, I did attend concerts at that age: Billy Joel, John Mellencamp, Jimmy Buffett, Kix, AC/DC, etc. — and guess what? I have seen Joel, Mellencamp, and Buffett multiple times over the years. I even saw Mellencamp in April. His concert was barely more than an hour long so it was a major disappointment, but the songs were great! I would be lying if I said that in 1992 I was listening to Kid Rock regularly because he was virtually unknown but his music didn't fit my defined pattern at the time. Kid Rock — then — would have fit my buddy Bru's playlists really well. Bru was listening to bass–bangin' rap back in the '80s. I remember pumping the bass in his kickers in his old Ford Tempo. Awe, the good old days.

Podcast Genius

Speaking of podcasts — I've been listening regularly to the work of Shawn Stevenson, Tim Ferriss, Rich Roll, and the Art of Manliness. If you're not learning from podcasts, give it a try. Like audiobooks, they give you a chance to learn while you're driving, mowing, working out, or whatever you might be doing. Tim Ferriss is awesome. His books are great but his podcast — I look forward to it every week. He asks innovative questions and digs deep into everyone he talks to. His work with Cal Fussman, scribe, Rick Rubin, record producer, and Ryan Holiday, author, are great places to begin.

• Link to Fussman
• Link to Rubin
• Link to Holiday (plus he has had him on multiple times!) 

 I discovered Stevenson listening to Rich Roll all because I had researched "sleep" and found that Rich Roll had a podcast with Stevenson, through which I found out that Stevenson has his own podcast. I have checked out books at the Traverse City District Library totally on the recommendation of these blogger/podcasters. Check one or two out and I'm sure you'll be amazed.

The Original Blogger 

You can't mention writing or blogging without mentioning Seth Godin. He is the first blog I read and through his work, I have discovered many other great writers and innovators. Godin has another grandaddy of them all coming out this year: a large coffee table book of his best blog posts for the past several years. I'm looking forward to it. He was recently the guest on the aforementioned Ferriss' podcast and made a return appearance to answer questions from Ferriss' followers. He made a great statement —

THE ONLY PERSON WHO HAS READ EVERYTHING YOU HAVE WRITTEN IS YOU.