Simplicity doesn't come easy

I am so easily drawn to new things, new ideas, new tech.  I like shiny things and I like color.  I like smooth and I like flowers.  I like things to all work together.  I think I am drawn to possibility and because of this I am soooo pulled to try new things.  I feel the lure and I see the possibility.  In some ways it's a good thing because it makes me generally optimistic, but it also makes it hard for me to stay focused.  I see someone else's blog and see how well it all seems to work and it makes we want to scrap mine and start fresh.  I'm thinking that this time I'm going to resist the urge and maybe just try to plod along with this one.  I don't have an audience yet (because I haven't told anyone the address...or maybe I have on Twitter?), but I like it that way because I can write for just me without the distraction of thinking about other's perceptions.
Thinking about that, I wonder if it would be easier for kids to work on writing if they weren't writing for it to be evaluated but instead were writing for themselves.  For me there is a certain amount of writer's block that happens right away when I know someone else will be looking at my work.  When it's just for me, I can just let the ideas flow and then go back and edit for me alone.  I often think it's important for kids to write for an "authentic purpose," but maybe that authentic purpose could just be to record their thoughts.  We typically tell kids what topic they have to write about and how long it has to be... I wonder if it would help or hinder to just say, here are some topics for starters, or just write about whatever you want, whatever interests you.