I have been tapped for a blogging award!

Maya's Granny has bestowed upon yours truly a Roar for Powerful Words from the Shameless Lions Writing Circle. In granting the award, this is what she said about my blogging efforts:

Blue Girl, Red State, whose sidebar reads "Deal in facts and check the sources." This is a "twit free zone." In covering political issues, you know she comes from a liberal perspective, and you quickly learn that her opinions are backed with facts and understanding.

This award comes with responsibilities. First, I have to define three elements that I think make for good writing. Then I have to tag five people whose writing I find powerful. Okay, let's tackle this project...

Three things that I think make for good writing, eh?

The first one is easy: Write what you know. If you operate from the starting point of writing what you know, you are less likely to get caught with your pants down and have to explain yourself later. There is plenty of space in the blogoshere - let me offer an example: My husband takes part in a discussion group that debates what version of the Upton Manual Custer was operating under! If that community can thrive, there is a place for all of us. So write what you know, and hope your audience finds you. If you make ten people a day actually think, you have made an impact in the world.

Second: Write with passion. If you can't get excited about a topic, how the hell do you think you are going to get anyone else excited about it?

Third: Be open minded. When you tackle a topic, and the facts reveal your preconceived notions to be incorrect; adjust your notions, not the facts.

Now...Five worthies. (Just five??? Argghhh!)

Okay, I can do this.

First up is my fellow MO-Blogger, Sky Girl. She writes Corner of the Sky with clarity and caring and she makes you care, too. She is a compassionate and passionate soul, a helping professional, a wife, and a mother. She writes about her experiences at home, and at work in family court, and every post is a treat.

Next is Leila, who writes the wonderful Dove's Eye View. She writes from feet firmly planted in two worlds - on one side she is a tenth-generation American, and on the other, she is a first generation Lebanese American. When you visit her site, you might find a beautifully written piece of prose about Middle East peace; or you might find a recipe. I say this as an occasional kitchen blogger: If you find a recipe on Leila's site, you have to try it!

My third choice is Maven, who writes The Constant American. I originally got to know her as a fellow commenter at Political Animal, the Washington Monthly website. Every word she writes is considered and weighed, and every argument she makes is sound.

Fourth up, with one to go...Blue Gal (no relation, as she says) who blogs at her own place, as well as at The Aristocrats and Crooks & Liars. Here is a bit of Azure Female trivia - she and I started blogging the same week and found one another almost immediately. Back then, I was Blue Gal, too - and quickly swapped out Gal for Girl to keep the confusion to a minimum! We have both experienced some success in our efforts, both of us have moved to new URL's and customized our sites since then, but that's all that's changed - unless you count that we are both even more pissed off now than we were back then!

And finally...I reach out and touch Yellow Dog, my fellow Watching Those We Chose blogger. Remember towards the top, when I said "write what you know"? Yeah, well, Yellow Dog knows Kentucky politics, and writes about it in a vivid and scathing manner. And YD is not shy about a well-placed "fuck" - calling 'em the way they fall, and if you're thin-skinned or delicate (besides the fact you shouldn't be here) don't click the link. Pretty simple, really, and the philosophy I follow here. And to think that a year ago, when I first started wheedling for help at WTWC, I got a bit of resistance, "I'm more of a commenter, I'm not really a blogger." I, being the irresistible force that I am, dismissed those concerns with a "pshaw" and now, Yellow Dog is a regular contributor to three blogs! And we are all the better for it.