It’s that time again. The time for the Ultimate Blog Challenge that comes around every quarter. In this challenge, my goal is to put up a blog post every day through April 30. I hope I can make it.
This time, I found out about the challenge ten days earlier and have been slowly curating topics, but let’s face it. I’m horribly disorganized and delightfully spontaneous so chances are that I will be pulling topics out of thin air. I can only hope that the advanced planning has at least taken my worry about succeeding in this challenge from a ten to a two. Full disclosure, I first found out about the challenge on December 31 before it started in January and didn’t finish, but that was then and this is now.
While my goal is to post every day, I also recognize that I can be terribly hard on myself, so I want to make this fun and engaging. It needs to be enjoyable, and not homework.
To that end, I asked friends on facebook if they planned to participate and I received positive feedback. I also sat down with my dear friend Nat and brainstormed topics. as I tell myself often, it isn’t like I have anything else going on at the moment. So, let’s do this!
As an introduction, I live in Washington State and have a myriad of hobbies, especially reading, writing, and playing online role-playing games. I am a part of different communities, both on and off line, and I sometimes feel like I don’t have anything to offer when it comes to words. I feel stuck and stagnant as I try to write down my feelings and goals. I feel stuck when I try to write in fiction. So I am practicing the art of pushing through. Maybe these words will mean something, maybe they won’t. Maybe they don’t need to at all. Maybe they just need to be here in stark honesty without my worry of intent or purpose. Maybe I need to stop worrying so much.
Maybe I can just learn to be.
Do you have writing goals? Have you written words and wondered if they land correctly or if they spell out their intended purpose? Do you write something that looks great in the moment only to ruthlessly delete it and close your program of choice, wondering why you even bothered at all? I think that’s the kind of writer I am and I hate it.
So isn’t it great that we have these challenges that come along and inspire and terrify us in equal measure? We have the opportunity to let out our feelings and let the words spill out, filling up space and maybe, just maybe, taking that space over and turning it in to something tangible and good.
What we write matters. What we say matters. Our intent matters. Our words deserve to be heard, even when we feel stupid for giving them voice. So, here I am, writing down these words to see where they land and if they stick.
To my fellow blog challengers, we can do this. If we find ourselves getting down about the challenge, we can build each other up. Our words are important. I can’t wait to see what we can do together.
Welcome to my Ultimate Blog Challenge, Spring 2020 Stay-at-home edition!
And a great post as always. I enjoy reading your writing.