I suppose that since I have chosen “Write” as my Word of the Year, I ought to consider why, exactly, I want to write! After all, I have many other responsibilities requiring my time. Why should I make the effort to blog and keep up with my Bullet Journal?
This is the question Denise Hughes encourages bloggers to ponder in her book On Becoming a Writer: What Every Blogger Needs to Know. If we have good reasons for why we are doing something, it is easier to keep it a priority in our lives, even when things get busy or we feel discouraged. So here are at least some of my reasons for writing:
- To remember: I was pretty regular about keeping a diary as a teenager, and I still have those notebooks tucked away in my closet. I haven’t had the nerve to read through them for a while, for fear of embarrassing my “mature” self with my teen-aged follies, but someday I will, just to remember and relive those years. I also enjoyed scrapbooking when my oldest three were little, but that has fallen by the wayside (except for one yearly album). Blogging serves a similar purpose, although I obviously am not going to share all my innermost thoughts here. 😉 I am also trying to capture some of the little things that happen or funny/sweet things my kids say in my Bullet Journal before they are forgotten.
- To clarify my thoughts: Writing posts like this one forces me to get those muddled thoughts floating around in my brain out in some sort of order. Sometimes I use an online dictionary or thesaurus to try to find just the right word. It can take time and trial and error, and even after all that I still sometimes feel like it didn’t come out right. But I think that even if no one else were to read it, the process has been good for me.
- To inspire others: This reason may sound a bit cheesy, and I don’t know that I do a very good job of it, but I do hope that my posts are an encouragement to someone else out there. 🙂
- To share what I’m learning along the way: Maybe something I’ve been learning, or a book I’ve found helpful would also be just what someone else needs. I know I’ve learned so much from other blogging moms out there.
- To be a part of the conversation: My blog may just be a little drop of water (pun intended 😉 ) in the online homeschooling community, but I am thankful to be able to join in. Sometimes all the ideas and information out there can be overwhelming, and I have to be careful not to fall into the trap of comparing myself to others. But mostly it has been a huge blessing to me as I seek to learn and grow alongside my kids.
So why do you write, either on a blog or elsewhere?
I’m so glad you write! I enjoy interacting with your ideas and thoughts in this medium because you do such a great job!
Thanks, Dawn 🙂