At the beginning of the
year, in an effort to nurture my inner writer, I set a goal of making one blog
entry a month. Now, six months and three blog entries in, it is pretty clear
that I have failed. Over the years, and through some painful lessons, I have
realized that failures are opportunities for reflection and change. A chance to
pick up the good bits and leave the rest behind. So, what are the good bits?
A blog
is not an assignment
As I
look back over the first few entries I made on my blog, I realized that they
are written like essays. Each month I would get ideas of what to write about
and then spend weeks deliberating about which topic to write about or what to
say. This perfectionism made me put off writing anything. Instead of using my
blog as an outlet for creative expression, I was being stifled by it. Words
went unsaid. The blog became a "have to" rather than a "want
to."
Going
forward, I am going to cut myself some slack. Be kind. Be encouraging. Not
judge the writing before I even type the first word. I am going to let it take
whichever form feels right in the moment.
There
is no grade
Even
though I set out to write to nurture my writing voice, the idea that other
people would read (and judge) my writing sat foremost in my mind. I worried
about how things might be perceived or misunderstood. I wanted to impress
people and make them like my writing and my views.
The freedom of a blog,
however, is that it can be a place to record my thoughts in an unedited way.
It is a chance for me to break out of the mold of J. Alfred Prufrock and share
my wondrous, silly, troubling parts of my life without wondering if I
"should" or "shouldn't." If people read it, then they
can share and connect - or not. The point is to give an outlet to creativity. I
hope to connect with people who read what I have written and think, "I so
get that!"
In light of this, I took
my real name off of my blog. I think this will free me from second-guessing how
things may be perceived, especially in light of my teaching career.
It doesn't have to be an
independent endeavor
When I
set my goal at the beginning of the year, I figured that it would just be
something that I did on my own. However, I have been reading a
friend's blog and I am touched by how many people comment on her blogs and how
she often references other blogs in her entries. She has found a community of
writers and this has helped her develop her own blog and to feel connected and
engaged with other people in the blogosphere.
I want
to reach out and find blogs of people out there that interest me. I don't
really know the best way to do this, but I am going to start looking. If you
know a blog that you think I would like, please link to it in the comments
section and include a link. Thanks!
Here are my new goals
for my blog:
- thoughtful
- genuine
- creative
- inspired
- free
I am feeling so much
lighter now. I think I want to write...
