Writer’s unblock

The challenge: to write a blog post in 10 minutes or less, and to post it in under 15. Is it possible? Yes, certainly. Will it be good?

Well, that’s another question altogether.

I’ve been carrying around a feeling a shame surrounding the fact that I’ve gotten out of my regular practice of writing. I mention that here only because I want to take responsibility for the fact that I’ve fallen out of practice on something that’s really important to me. I apologize for that, and also for the fact that now you’re reading about my break in habit, rather than something more interesting. I promise that I’ll get back to writing on a regular basis, posting twice a week or close to it, very soon.

I do want to say, though, that this hiatus, or break in practice, or whatever it is that we should call it, is not writer’s block. Like many people who write, I’ve gone through periods that I’ve bemoaned as some sort of involuntary interruption to my education or growth as a writer. The older I get – and I did just have a birthday, so now I really am older – the more I realize that my writing is always my responsibility. Sure, there may be days when I truly run out of time, but the truth is that I can always find a few minutes to jot down some ideas of some sort. If I did that on a regular basis, I don’t doubt that I’d be further along in this practice than I am now. These last few weeks have been very busy, filled with good things and amazing people, but the fact that I neglected writing – while unintentional – was no one’s doing but my own.

When I started writing this blog last spring, I did so, in part, to answer the question of whether or not I could commit to writing on a regular basis, while inviting others into what were certain to at times be bumbling words and ideas. (That last sentence is proof of that!) I wondered if I could capture the travels that, all those months ago, lay ahead of me, in a way that others might find intriguing. I found that I could do those things, and it was one of the most important lessons for me of 2014.

As I moved into a new place, with a full-time job that demands my attention, energy, and care, I feared I’d be unable to continue posting on a regular basis. More than that, I wondered how to make those pieces of writing something that others would want to read. I’m still learning how to do these things, and as I learn, I so appreciate the fact that you’ve continued reading, all the while tolerating what has become a somewhat obscene number of sunset-over-the-ocean pictures. (Of those, I’ll admit: I just can’t get enough.)

As 2015 unfolds, and with it no doubt more of the unexpected, know that I’m working to grow this blog, as I grow myself. I so appreciate you being a part of this with me. I am looking forward to everything that is headed our way.

I’m sorry. I couldn’t resist posting one more…

(Three minutes to post.)