Sharpened pencils and fresh notebooks

I haven't blogged for almost two months, have journaled only sporadically and have not worked on any other writing projects, except for those that relate to my paid work.  Recently, I saw a #30PostsHathSept blog challenge on writer Lisa Rivero's website.  It's just the thing I need to recommit to my writing and blogging, both of which have been sadly neglected in recent months.  A blog challenge also provides some accountability, which is a topic I've written about before.  The #30PostsHathSept blog challenge is about committing to publish 20-30 blog posts in September.  I'm aiming for 20 posts in September starting with this one!  

It's timely to have a challenge like this coincide with the start of the new school year.  What I love about back-to-school is the promise of new beginnings, pencils sharpened to a perfect point and fresh notebooks with empty pages begging to be filled.  In my writing life, the new beginning is this blog challenge.  The pencils sharpened to a perfect point are my commitment and willpower.  And the fresh notebooks with empty pages are the twenty posts to be written this month.  Perhaps not the most original metaphors, but they'll do.  

I can't think of an apt metaphor for vulnerability, but it's an important theme for writers and for anyone who puts their work or their ideas or themselves out in the world for others to see.  I've written about vulnerability before.  And the theme of vulnerability has popped up a few times for me in the past several days.  Last week, someone completely misrepresented my words and actions.  It felt like an attack on my character, and I felt very vulnerable.  I wrote about the experience in my journal to work through my feelings.  Writing therapy works!  Then I happened to hear the song Breathe (2am) by Anna Nalick while driving.  The lyrics really spoke to me about writing, vulnerability and - yes - just breathing (something I sometimes forget to do!):

2 am and I'm still awake, writing a song 

If I get it all down on paper, it's no longer inside of me,

Threatening the life it belongs to

And I feel like I'm naked in front of the crowd

Cause these words are my diary, screaming out loud

And I know that you'll use them, however you want to     

Then this past Wednesday, Lisa Rivero (whose blog challenge I'm joining) wrote about vulnerability in her post The Courage of Getting Back Up.  I love what she wrote:

Blogging—especially regular blogging —is a good way to practice vulnerability. Even if you don’t blog about personal topics, the habit of “showing up” and “being seen” (or being read) when you have no control over your readers is a form of creative courage.

Lastly, in anticipation of our twentieth wedding anniversary - which was also on Wednesday - a mini-essay formed in my brain.  It wasn't quite a blog post.  It also wasn't quite the sort of thing most people say on anniversaries.  But it felt so real.  With my husband's consent - because it's about both of us, of course - I posted the words on FB along with a wedding photo.  I felt vulnerable, but I also felt so glad I put my words out there because those words resonated with many of my friends.  

So...here's to new beginnings, creative courage & vulnerability!  

*****

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