When you write a blog, write conversationally, as if you are writing to someone whom you are comfortable talking to about “intellectual” things.

Lionel Trilling required his students at Columbia University to keep on an on-going notebook of critical responses to all the readings the students had done for the entire semester. He assigned no formal papers or essays. These notebooks of old were a lot like today’s blogs.
Your blogs must be at least 700 words. Blogs are not as personal as journals or diaries; they are meant to be read by others.
When you write a blog, write conversationally, as if you are writing to someone whom you are comfortable talking to about “intellectual” things. Imagine that you are sitting with an ex-professor and old college friends over dinner in a nice restaurant or someone’s house, with good food and a fine wine, discussing important topics of the day. In other words, make this blog more opinionated; but write informally, not formally. Be specific; use short words rather than long words; don’t fill your journal with clutter. (See: “Writing in a Conversational Tone”). The blog welcomes your opinions, BUT why are you convinced that your opinion is correct? Question your assumptions before you post. What do you know and why do you know it?
Your goal is to involve the reader with the books, not analyze them (unlike some essays, you can assume your reader is also familiar with these books). Readers not the least bit concerned with how you “feel” about these texts; they want you to convey what these books have gotten you to think about. What are you learning from them? For example, do they retain their moral weight or their artistic, scientific, philosophical, or literary effect? What makes these books still worth reading? What is their ensuing strength and lasting effect? How might they still be relevant to the world today or, especially, to your own experiences? You are engaged in“intelligent conversation with friends.” In blogging you are using the text as a jumping-off point to current issues and enduring questions. To repeat, do not analyze or, worse, summarize the text. What the reader wants to know is how these texts have engaged your thinking.

Don’t (ever) write in generalities. Be specific when you write. Eschew vogue words and phrases (like “awesome,” “life’s journey,” or “I have issues.” Strive for clarity and insight (in all endeavors).

Read the sample blog below to get a better idea of how to approach this assignment.