Of course, I can blame it on the virus-y flu-y thing that made me feel like a walking sack of Stupid for 2 days last week, or the job interview that I spent hours thinking about/preparing for, or all the planning I've been doing for my move, or the all grantwriting I'm trying to complete before I get out of town - but really now. What good would that do?
It's become clear from this week-long experiment in 3-times-a-week blogging that, for me, 3-times-a-week blogging falls into the realm of credit cards, nonmonogamy, and eating without really paying attention: a nice idea for some people that I can't really handle, and that leads to most uninspiring results. In the case of the above: paralyzing debt, chaos/heartbreak/exhaustion, and less-than-attractive weight gain. In the case of the not-really-three-times-a-week blogging: guilt, lack of progress, and another darn thing I keep forgetting to do - accompanied by the all-too-familiar chorus/taunt of "you undisciplined loser" in the back of my head.
I can say I'm being too hard on myself, I can try to silence that voice with excuses, but really, I'd rather just make an adjustment. And do what I set out to do with this blog: write more, and less hesitantly, and more specifically and compellingly and sharply. To increase my joy and confidence so that I can and will write more and publish more too. All of which requires awareness and attention, but mostly, I know, requires practice.
And so. I come to:
Rule Number Nine: For at least 3 months, forget Rule Number One - "At least three times a week, daily is even better" - and just write every flippin day. Write SOMETHING on the silly blog page every day. Even if it's "facebook plus" - two or three sentences to keep me going and connected. Here's a photo of my dinner, and here's what I cooked. I overheard this in the coffeeshop/in the subway/in my dream. Whatever.
(Ha, that reminds me that I wrote a facebook status entry yesterday that was at least as long as a blog post, but because it was posted in the comparatively inconsequential context of social media, it was much easier to just sit down and write without over-thinking than a blog post would have been. Yet I would've felt more accomplished/satisfied, if I'd written it and posted it here.)
OK then. That's all. More tomorrow.
:)
Now THAT's commitment!
ReplyDeleteWhoever in the blogosphere came up the the edict that you have to post daily to be relevant is a crackhead, in my humble opinion. I like reading what people have put thought into, especially when they are posting random personal insights.
ReplyDeleteWith this in mind, I will say that posting daily is probably good for the sole. As long as you don't kill yourself to do it :)
simone weil said that one should write so that one's words were saturated with their maximum potential (something like that, it was french, so that's probably a rough translation) cristina campo (one of weil's italian translators, and a writer of fables) said that she wrote too much, and should write much less. i think there's so much to take from these amazing women. just a handful of words. that's all it should take.
ReplyDeletego, go, go! (and good point about the FB note...channel that stuff over to the blog where more of us will catch it!)
ReplyDeleteWHERE's MY POST FIX?????!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteGET ON IT, GIRL!
In honor of Facebook: Like. I too love the random personal insights... I look forward to reading more. :)
ReplyDelete