How does one get a blog started?

I want to start blogging, and I need tips. I would like it to be free, but I don’t want to start up a Google account, so BlogSpot is probably out. Please, give me the good, the bad and the ugly concerning where to go and what to do.

I used blogger (google) but I think WordPress is free.

I failed as a blogger. I lacked a bit of conviction that people would want to read what I wrote, along with the discipline to stick with it on a regular basis & promote it.

Spam comments were a pain and cost money to eliminate.