Wednesday, January 3, 2018

I Quit. And Then I Started Again.

"I WANT TO WRITE, BUT MORE THAN THAT, I WANT TO BRING OUT ALL KINDS OF THINGS THAT LIE BURIED DEEP IN MY HEART.
ANNE FRANK ~

I retired.

I quit writing.

Actually, I quit writing before I retired. I'd think about blog posts. I'd try to get started. But that inner critic kept telling me that others had written it before, my thoughts weren't relevant, I had nothing to add to the conversation. And when I did retire in May, it was easy to tell myself that no one would want to read the thoughts of a teacher no longer in the classroom.

I'm not sure what is motivating me now, but I know I've spent the last couple of months preparing to start again.

  • I've started a Pinterest board for Blogging and Journaling.
  • I've dabbled a couple of times
  • I've pulled out a new notebook
  • I've scheduled my writing time in my calendar
  • I've removed blank pages from my notebook
Yes. You read that last one correctly. I removed blank pages. Well, maybe remove isn't the right word. You know how we all hate the blank page? Well, I dated a week's worth of pages and wrote a writing prompt on them. That way when I sit down to write in the morning, the page isn't blank and I have a prompt to start from. 



I've found that I tend to list things at first, but when I sit down to really write, I have plenty to say. This post started from a list of all the reasons I wanted to start my blog up again:
  • I need to write again
  • I think about blog posts all the time--why don't I write them?
  • It makes me feel good to write
  • I need to write to sort things out
  • I miss it
  • I miss connecting with my blogging friends
  • "Write like it matters and it will." Libba Bray
What I really forgot when I quit was my very first blog post, written on another site, was that I wanted a place for me to write, and Coffee With Chloe is that place.




3 comments:

  1. This seems to be the cycle of my writing life as well--quitting and starting again. Your reasons to blog are mine too. I especially miss connecting to blogging friends. When I'm not blogging, I'm also not commenting very much on other blogs--partly because I feel bad that I'm not writing too. I've gotten myself back in the habit of daily writing in my notebook over the past month--now I just need to get that next step in place where I blog too. I really like your idea of having a prompt in place for yourself for each day's writing. I think that would help me too.

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  2. You didn’t quit. You paused. A pause is ok. You returned, and I am glad for it. I enjoy your and Chloe’s voice.

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  3. It was a break. We all need a break once in a while. Glad you are starting again.

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