P writing blue (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I never wanted to be a blogger. Let me provide some background. I have loved writing ever since I was a little girl. I used to make up songs and poems and share them with my mom. I always had book and movie ideas floating around inside my brain. As I grew older, my love for writing continued. However it seemed there were so many other things fighting for my time and attention: music, dance, foreign language, choosing and pursuing a career, spirituality, my social life, and starting a family.
While I was in my undergraduate program, I agonized over what my concentration should be. Having been blessed (or cursed depending on how one might look at it) with so many interests, I had no idea how to narrow my focus. One of my many not-so-fabulous characteristics is that I get bored easily. And since interest does not equal talent, I decided to take the logical route for my career. I chose Psychology as my first major because it is so diverse and interesting that it would be difficult even for me to get bored with that career. I also wanted to do something that would, with any luck, have a positive impact. I elected for Spanish as my second major in order to continue studying a language that I loved and hopefully to become more marketable while applying for a job.
While this decision has gone well for me occupationally, there was still a nagging problem: I missed writing. This was abated while I was in graduate school and had to write papers ad nauseam, but now that I have been out of school for some time I find myself growing restless. I could write academically and plan to do so at some point, yet what I realized through prayer and self-exploration is that I miss writing creatively. Then more questions came. Should I write a novel? This I have considered heavily, unfortunately in my current stage of life I do not have the time to devote to such an exhaustive project. This realization initially left me feeling sad and frustrated. Then those feelings gave way to immense appreciation for my current phase of life. While I still do counseling and facilitate trainings part-time, most of my time is spent with my little ones. I know this chapter of our lives is fleeting, and I am filled with gratitude and joy for it. That is, when I am not ripping my hair out. Sound contradictory? That’s me! I think that is a part of being human.
Which brought me to my next decision: what should I write about and how? For some strange reason (note heavy sarcasm here), magazines are not knocking at my door begging for me to write for them since my only published works are a couple of poems I penned many moons ago. This led me to consider blogging. At first I completely rejected this idea as the World Wide Web is oversaturated with bloggers and vloggers. Yet the more I thought about it, the more convinced I became that this was the perfect engine for me at this time. I don’t have to deal with the stringent rules of academic writing, and I can write at my own pace about anything I choose. “They say” that to write a good blog, the author needs to stick to writing about one thing that they know well. I’m sorry but that is something I cannot do (easily bored, remember?). I also read that the author should keep the blogs about the same length and style. Another rule I am going to have to break. If I only write about one thing, I am almost guaranteed to get bored and quit after a few months. As for blog length, I feel that what is most important is that whatever I write be authentic, which can be anywhere from 100 words to 1000 depending on the subject and the muse. This means I am running the risk of creating a crummy blog.
I had to make a decision at that point if I should pursue this. What if not a single other person ever looks at my writing? What if people read it but no one likes it? What won out was this drive to create that I am unable to shake. Maybe it won’t be earth-shattering. Maybe it will seem conflicting-at times amusing or thought-provoking, fun or passionate. You don’t have to agree with me. I just hope you will take the time to consider it. Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think in the comments below, along with any subjects you would be interested in reading about.
Something to Consider 