Some days I wonder if I’ve exhausted all ideas to write about for my blog. I know that’s not the case, but I still wonder.
Today’s prompt from Linda Hill’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “letter“. I wrote a blog post last fall about snail mail. It was back when I hadn’t figured out ping-backs or sharing, or reading other blogs. As a result, I had no followers.
A lonely blogging existence.
It was okay, though, I needed to learn more about myself and find a voice of reason regarding why I wanted to blog in the first place.
I wonder if I’ve figured that out yet? I wonder…
But, back then I continued on writing daily for myself and participated in a fun photography challenge. The challenge launched me even further into my desire to write daily. I’m fond of looking back at that time in my blogging life and how much I’ve grown since.
I wonder if I should have written a letter to myself at that time – a letter of encouragement to continue on despite the lonely stage? I guess I didn’t need to? I find that I still simply enjoy writing for the act of writing. That’s all the encouragement I need.
I wonder if writing a physical letter would challenge me to learn more about my writing desires as well as writing blogs does for me? I wonder if I should find a pen pal again? Or I wonder if I should find a mentor? I wonder what other blogging challenges I can find? I wonder if anyone will comment and share their suggestions on what else I can do to grow my blogging life?
I wonder if I should just end the post now, and instead go get some exercise, go for a run, enjoy time in the sun, and…
I wonder if anyone will read the old post now…
I couldn’t find the comment section on your snail mail post…I was wondering if it worked? Did you receive any letters back?
It was probably something else I didn’t understand about blogging back then! I had upgraded after that, so who knows…that darn WordPress stuff!! Thank you for taking time to read it, I appreciate hearing from you!
It’s entirely possible that the reason you weren’t getting any comments was because there was noplace to comment. XD
By the way, I immediately went to the linked post when I saw there was one.
Thank you, John, I appreciate hearing your thoughts. Thank you for checking out the old blog post too! :-)!
I love to wonder. It’s better than worrying. I’ve also loved writing letters to myself. It has been therapeutic for me to write a letter or two to my younger self with the main message that I’m okay and it’s going to be okay. Some people believe that these thoughts can travel back in time, or more likely, that the consciousness of your younger selves still exist in us now. (That inner child thing.) I don’t know, but it doesn’t hurt and works for me on some letter. Ha! I meant level. Here’s a letter I wrote in a post: https://joannaoftheforest.wordpress.com/2017/03/23/2001-a-letter-to-my-divorced-self/ It was a good exercise. I love how you enjoy the process of writing. Makes me realize how much I enjoy it, too, for its own sake.
JoAnna, thank you for sharing your inspirational thoughts. I love your suggestions on letters to self and our inner child. Thank you for sharing your past post, it was very touching to read and I could tell you were healing. May you continue to be blessed with the opportunities to write for the sake of writing (and for your enjoyment, too!).
Thank you, Shelley. Your support means a lot. And yes, I must remember the enjoyment of writing! 🙂
You’re welcome, thank you, too, for your support! It’s so nice to hear from you!
https://ountrending.wordpress.com/2018/05/05/daily-prompt-being-a-good-mentor/
Thank you for sharing your post, very informative and thought-provoking!
You’re highly welcome
I love to get letters in the mail. Seems people just don’t do that as much any more, though. I did read your older post. Pen pals were great, and I still have a lot of the letters I received back then. 🙂
Me, too – I agree. It is rare to see. Thank you for taking time to read my old post! I loved my pen pals – it is fun to go back and read them, glad to hear I’m not the only one who hung on to a few for the fun memories they hold!
Sometimes blogging is like a brain dump for me. Like today, I’m in a bad mood, things haven’t gone well, too many challenges and at the he risk of using the internet as a sounding board, I typed a draft post complaining about all that is bugging me.
Doesn’t make for interesting reading.
Which is why sometimes I don’t publish…but I did today.
But I’m still digging around in my brain to come up with something like we talked about last week. Maybe a series? Like a theme on a given day for a few weeks or months?
I don’t know. Right now I’m too depressed, tired, overwhelmed to come up with something.
But I’ll keep thinking…
With a personal blog, mind dumping is common, and bad moods are part of life. You did a great job of venting constructively in your post. And that squirrel…a semi-tame one! You’re brave! You’re funny, and you’ve got a great writing style. Maybe write about how you find “me” time in your crazy life? Challenge yourself to find ways to enjoy the craziness of life in your current stage – you had a rough week which is tough, but what made you smile despite all of the downer moments? I’m still thinking, too – I haven’t come up with a grand plan, either…keep me posted, it will happen, I’m sure of it. I tried to come up with one to get me over a bad mood in February – it helped, but it didn’t take off. There are good bones to it…maybe? Maybe not, but it did help my February: https://www.quaintrevival.com/a-gfth-gftb-blogging-challenge/ Stay in touch, and hang in there, hope this week is better for you!
You had a lot of likes on that! I wonder sometimes if the idea of a series or a challenge is appealing to people but then they think ‘um, ok…where’s my phone? oops forgot to take a picture…wow, this thing won’t download, oh no the kids are hogging all the bandwidth, wait what time is it I gotta go…
I want to do something that is collaborative but I know instinctively it has to be short and sweet. There is something that someone is doing called Grace in Small things (Schmutzie). She used to do this weekly on her website/blog and then moved over to facebook.
I’m not sure. I signed up for it but I didn’t go post to it (for a variety of reasons, I kinda have a love hate relationship with facebook).
Anyway, we’ll keep thinking! 🙂
Yes, it was well received the first day! I think people like the challenges, but you’re right, life and other blingy things take us away. I’d love to do something collaborative, too, keep thinking…keep dreaming…it’ll come!
There is a topic I think we might consider … but it’s a topic we all resist thinking, much less talking, about despite the fact that it’s entered tall of our psyches. Climate change.
Wait, are you running already?
The “male principle” is to talk about the facts and the facts are scary as hell. Perhaps the “female principle” can be to talk about thoughts and feelings, from the small ones, like how much should a pet-owner worry about the rise in insect-borne diseases (weather related?), to the biggest, like does feeling helpless have to keep me from writing about something?
Perhaps, just perhaps, we can find a way to have a conversation without scaring ourselves and each other too much or slipping over into controversy.
Tell you what – – I’ll try a post about it today, see how it goes, OK?
Ellen – I love your poem you wrote describing your idea. If we can avoid controversy, I’m happy to join in on conversations, but I’ll avoid it if it turns to arguments. But, if it’s about those nasty little wood ticks (I’ve had 3 so far this year), count me in! 😉 If anyone can find a reason for them to exist, I’m all ears. Tell me more about what you’d like younger blogging females to learn about or share info about?
And…I love your blog you wrote! https://ellendiamondblogblog.wordpress.com/2018/05/05/the-metaphor-behind-a-glassful-of-pills/#more-402
I don’t find I run out of things to write about, although I try to blog twice per week rather than daily. My problem is having the time to blog about all those things stuck in my head! There are a lot of book tag posts around and they are fun to do. I liked this one: https://imfeelingthis.blog/2017/04/16/my-life-in-books-tag/
Thank you, Sue, I love hearing how you’ve found a groove to your blog writing. Thank you, too, for the suggestion. That does look like a fun blog challenge! Happy writing to you!!
I think each post we make is really just a letter to ourselves…maybe sometimes disguised as something else. I love going back and reading my old stuff. Sometimes, it feels like I was a completely different person, regardless of what the topic was. Just in my style of writing, or the emotions I had while forming the sentences.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Jami. I agree and that’s an interesting and accurate take on personal blogging. Way to learn from yourself and continue growing! PS – thanks for stopping by to read my post!