13 March 2014

A Wandering Post About Writing

I read a post the other day about blogs becoming a thing of the past.  It talked about the ethereal nature of them and just how very few of them have staying power.  Also it talked how popular some of the blogs have become, even becoming a regular source of income which is a completely new and viable industry.

It made me feel a little badly because I've been so lax about writing here.  I am often thinking about it, it's just that follow-through and opportunity that I have lacked.  I have an actual list of items to talk about and an older list of random words written on a wrinkled old subscription card that must have meant something when I wrote it.

Some of the lack is simple time.  I come home tired still, which is just stupid.  I almost wonder if it's become a habit then I remember "Two plates, eight screws, five broken bones, nine percent disability, duh."

Also I have The Puppy.  She requires playing and love and attention that Missy Jo rarely demanded.  Y'all saw: she was standing on my desk while I was writing.  (Kevin said "Well, SOMEONE let her up there.")  There is also something about having a warm puppy laying on you that takes away any need or want to get up, ever.

I realized also that I just got weary of writing about how the Nephew was sick or my job sucks or this is what's wrong right now that 2013 brought us.  Other than the ongoing vehicle drama, 2014 seems more positive by far. *KNOCK WOOD EVERYWHERE*  With that though also takes away go-to subjects to write about.

You guys can only stand so many puppy pictures and I really don't want to be that girl anyway.

Related: While I was proofing another post, I realized that I still have a blog roll on this blog.  I know, I know, I need to update.  At least three of them aren't active anymore.  It's sad really.  Three of the writers just got too busy and couldn't devote any more time so have all but disappeared from my life. One is a far-away friend that I still keep up with.  A few are facebook friends now and I love that.

I have difficulty letting go for the names and links, even though they're not active anymore.  I will do it though.  I'm a little embarrassed at how long it has been since I've updated anything.

Writer burnout has become a real thing.  It used to be simply writers block and it was only for novelists and reporters.  Now there's this new niche of bloggers where the "rules" aren't defined and we're clearly making it up as we go along.  Many people just burnout but then eventually return.  This is always my hope when I click on an old link.

A thousand years ago when I was in college, a professor talked about choosing a career.  He made a point that "Do what you love" might not be the greatest advice.  His premise was that if you do what you love as a hobby then the pleasure is taken out of that hobby.  I was a little ambivalent about that premise at the time, actually thinking "Well, that's depressing."   Now I kind of see his point.

I write for a living now (argument could be had that I do that anyway so let's clarify: I get paid now) and by the time I get home, I'm exhaustified of looking at a screen and hovering over a keyboard.  I imagine that is the case for many writers.

I've never been worried about being on trend or even on task, really, and I'm not going to begin now.  I'll probably still be here typing away this just a bunch of silliness for quite a while and happily reading the friends that still do write.  :)



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