The issue of blogging came up in the OU Write Club forum last night / this morning and I brought up the issue I've had with blogging... does it count as being published and therefore nullify a writers ability to enter competitions that specify 'unpublished' authors only? I think this is a moot point as it looks as if many, perhaps most, of the students either secretly or openly hold an ambition to become 'Writers' and by encouraging the existing bloggers I felt that I should perhaps be adding a word of caution in my role as moderator for the A215 forum.

Although there were opinions expressed non-seemed to be the definitive answer to this query as there is no definitive attitude from either competition organisers or publishing houses for that matter. Some publishing houses seem to positively engage with bloggers with a following whilst others are ambivalent and some show a discrimination that is similar to a withering 'its a cheap form of self publishing for those who should never be published'. Amusing isn't it?

As my own ambitions lie more in the regions of allowing myself to write and explore the medium as much as possible and for my own enjoyment I don't suppose it has many immediate ramifications but it was non-the-less important for me to become as informed as possible lest I should be quizzed on such things by other students. I feel no more knowledgable than I did before but at least I have confidence in my ability to lay out the possible responses they'll encounter.

Ho, hum!

And the haiku of the day... one of many as I'm feeling particularly creative today:

the winged seeds were like

tadpoles swimming up to kiss

each other, then part

I just loved this image as it captured the movement of wind through the seeds.