Wednesday, October 2, 2013

A thought about blogging every day

As you know, I made it a little goal to blog every day during the year of our Lord 2013, and I mostly have.  Many of the posts are fragile, skimpy little things--probably not worth the paper they're printed on (or the internet space they occupy) (or whatever it is we say these days), but the exercise has been invaluable to me.  Here's why.

Historically whenever I've sat down to write, I've felt a LOT of anxiety.  Like enough rushing anxiety to shoot my eyeballs right out of their sockets.  The exercise of writing every day--even just a little bit--has made it easier for me to sit down and get busy on other writing projects.  I did not foresee this as a result of my daily experiment.

And now when I tell writing students that you need to practice every day--just like basketball players or pianists--I will be speaking from experience instead of talking out of my hat.  (Or whatever it is we say these days.)


6 comments:

Donna Tagliaferri said...

OK, I shall join you. Blogging every day....maybe not on my regular blog....I wrote today on dwarf wheat...but a new blog

BBB said...

I am glad you have been blogging everyday. It's been entertaining.

Did you read the comments on your parking meter column? Not that it makes me like the meters any better, but I loved finding out there was an app you could use to pay!!

Lisa B. said...

I am grateful for your everyday blogging. And your posts are not in any way skimpy or fragile--they are blog posts, which, in my opinion at least, should have a little bit of the dashed-off, devil-may-care, here's-what-I-got about them. Yours are little gifts of a voice, a wit, an eye--every day, or almost, and I cherish that. So I'm glad you've found it worthwhile--I have flagged a little, but I'm trying to find my way back to blogging on the regular. Or whatever it is we say these days. I'm pretty sure we *do* say "on the regular.* I know Justin Timberlake did in that one song from seven years ago, so it's a thing.

Emily said...

I love reading everyday snips of your life. You are inspiring. I want to do what you do.

Michelle Renee Stimpson said...

The shorter ones are my favorites. Maybe because I have a new baby and a short attention span. Anyway, you inspire me to write every day, too, even if it's just a status update on Facebook.

Amy said...

Plus the more you write here, the funnier you are to us here. Because we think we're in on the inside jokes. We say to ourselves "oh that Ann, hating on SLC meters and eating delicious burgers again." as if we're old friends though we've never even met in real life.

Or maybe I'm the only one that delusional. No matter. Keep writing.