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I’d rather write than talk. Nobody interrupts! Posting monthly or less now--see below. |
My original purpose for this blog, which I started in August of 2019, was to see if I could maintain consistency, to discover what I want to write about, and to find my writing voice. In January, I started a "niche-less" blog at Wordpress.com where I've published weekly. -- Kit’s Kontemplations  . -- I'm preparing to start a Catholic blog on Wordpress.com where I'll post weekly, and another site to put the rest of my writing. I also want to spend more time reading other blogs and offering thoughtful comments, both here on WDC and elsewhere. At most, I will publish once a month at no set time in this blog starting in September of 2020. Thank you to those who have read and rated any posts on this blog. I really appreciate it. I did NOT want to write “about” me on this blog. I wanted to share my interests, discoveries and maybe a few useful insights. If anything I've written helps even one person, whether or not they respond to the post, then this blog has been successful. |
| I came across some articles about why we write where one author, in particular, said that many writers have never articulated to themselves why they write. I’ve gone through periods where I wrote a lot and regularly, followed by years, even decades, of no writing at all. I first started writing in high school. My English teacher told me to never stop writing because I had talent. I didn’t follow her advice. I was in my 40s by the time I took it up for a couple of years and then dropped it again for almost two decades. Now, in my 60s, I’ve returned to it, hopefully to stay with it this time. Instead of wondering why I kept giving it up, a more interesting question is why do I keep returning to it? Last summer, after helping a friend write a cover letter, there was a stirring within me to return to writing. I re-activated my membership with Writing.com (WDC) and entered a few contests. Something had shifted in me. I had no interest in fiction; creating plots and characters no longer appealed to me. Since I enjoy reading fiction, this makes no sense to me. However, even nine months later, this hasn’t changed. Since WDC offers a blog space, I decided to see how regularly I would publish posts on it. I’ve never been good at sticking with things for long since I have so many interests so imagine my amazement when I’d produced two posts per week from August until December then one post weekly since the beginning of 2020. I’ve also written a few essays for WDC contests with good results. So now I know what I’m meant to write: relatively short non-fiction. The question of why I want to write is linked to the question of who I want to write for. The topics that I write about are pieces of that puzzle. My ideal reader, or “avatar”, is someone who shares my interests and is passionate about learning new things. If I find myself wondering how important writing is to me, my feelings about it are no reliable guide. I need to look at how much time I spend creating new content or doing “writing-related” activities in the past week; has this increased, stayed constant or decreased? It’s not how I feel about an activity, it’s how much time I spend doing it that truthfully indicates how important it is to me now. On days where I don’t feel like creating something new, I want to still do something related to writing. I’m afraid that, otherwise, I’ll lose my “momentum” and not be able to get it back. I’ve invested so much time and energy into writing this time around that I don’t want to risk wasting it. Having created a “real” blog on Wordpress.com is helping because it’s a commitment to real and potential readers. When it comes to fresh writing that isn’t for one of the WDC contests, I write about things I’ve discovered and encourage my readers to take opportunities to learn and to engage in critical thinking. I express my opinion about something important to me or share a perspective that is counter-cultural. Sharing discoveries I’ve been writing some book reviews, and plan to review a few sites and products. I like to share things I discover. When it comes to sharing information, I like to research a topic, to break it down and summarize it in a way that enables my readers to move from complete bewilderment to, hopefully, a basic general understanding. Support learning and thinking Besides pointing readers to free opportunities to learn online, I write to encourage critical thinking. I’ve written about pseudoscience, navigating the nutrition maze, and dealing with over-abundant contradictory advice on a topic. Stating opinions I’m not interested in controversies and debates. I just share my insights and values. If others can relate or if it helps them to know that they’re not alone in how they view a situation or practice, that’s a blessing for both of us. For those who see things differently, they have good reasons for their perspective. An example of this would be the article I wrote about consuming news media. Suggesting new perspectives We sabotage ourselves in so many ways. Our beliefs and attitudes shape how we behave and the habits that keep us from reaching our goals. I like to point the flashlight in a new direction. My article Let “good enough” BE enough suggests that getting the task accomplished is better than waiting forever for it to be “perfect”. The writing I’ve done since last summer has given me a sense of who I’m writing for. It’s revealing some things that I’m passionate about. One of these things is “truth”, something I believe is absolute, not relative. I know I want to continue to write whether or not I ever see evidence that anyone has read my articles. That is one indication of how important writing is to me now. Reflections for others who write:  Have you ever listed the reasons why you write? Do you know how important writing is to you? What genres of writing are you drawn to and which ones don’t interest you in the least? |
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Yes, I know some people do that but I'm a creative writer not a journalist. Poetry sells ... but it's a money-maker for only a few. I write A LOT. Almost 180 pieces since Spring equinox. My goal is 300-400 per year. One year I went over 1,000. I need to do more editing, polishing, sharing, submitting. Writer's block? Who has time for that? I don't.