Maybe there should have been a plan

In which I look back at a month of blogging daily...

You’d think I started this with a plan. But, alas, there really wasn’t a plan. There was a page in my journal where I started to try to capture ideas of things I could write about. Some of these became posts but many just sat there.

Do people really want to learn about my habits, process, tools of writing though the answer is “I write on my phone sitting on the couch or in the car when Matt is driving or with my laptop on the couch or at my desk or at work when I need a break”? Would a post comparing two meal kit companies be interesting even though I have very few photos of the food that was sent or that I cooked from them? Do I have the energy right now to come up with a round-up of my favorite non-alcoholic drinks, though I’ve thought about doing so for a good five years? Is a list of what my friends think I should read a cop-out because it’s not even my opinions (as if only I can be trusted though I’m also a stranger to most of you reading this)? Would a post of what turned out to be only three randomly funny things I saw at Target one day be amusing? (If any of that appeals, truly, let me know. I can write those up at some point.)

Instead, I just sort of did this. In the beginning, I was zooming along. I had so many things to share! I was going to do a big roundup of books and share my current WIPs and there was a camping trip I could photos of. I was going to try to be all poignant with a letter to the person who made Lizzy’s Miss Frizzle dress. Talk about Lizzy getting really into fantasy novels. Blather about Finch, like it’s not an app that’s been available for years.

Then I got stuck. I looked up ideas for what to write about and asked friends and coworkers. That netted a couple of posts. I knew a big part of NaBloPoMo is connecting with others who are participating so, hey, why not introduce some of them (and do it again a few days later when I didn’t feel like I had anything of my own to write about). Read others’ writing here which inspired other posts. Turned conversations with friends into posts. A friend stepped in one day, a migraine ruined another. Finally decided to admit how bad I am at meeting yearly goals. Let topics just sort of appear before me.

I won’t lie, it’s been a struggle to find something worth writing about or photos worth sharing. It’s often felt like a sort of torture, the need to constantly share. The need to achieve a goal I literally chose out of boredom and no one is going to mark me down or fire me if it’s not completed. But, look at me - I did it! I actually put something up here for 30 straight days. Woo!

Photo by Jason Dent on Unsplash

So, what’s next? I want to write about once a week, to share what’s going on in my life or share a story about what it was like being me as I grew up. I thought about a theme or something for December but, eh, enough is going on this time of year.

As always, I promise to be myself. Too many commas and incorrectly used em dashes and parenthesis that drive my editor friend batty but reflect how I’d talk if you were on the other side of a table from me at a restaurant.

See you later, alligator. In a while, crocodile.