Day #31: ‘There is no real ending. It’s just the place where you stop the story.’*

Here it is, the last day of July and the final day of my blogging challenge. I feel relieved about not having the looming deadline every day. But I also feel just a little bit sad. Between journaling in the morning and blogging at night, writing book-ended my day.

That has made me feel like “a writer” again!

If you’ve followed at least the last few posts, you won’t be surprised when I say it hasn’t been fun. I chose to write for 31 days, and I stuck with it. It was work, not something I would call enjoyable. Well, maybe sometimes. Occasionally. And I did enjoy the positive feedback, which I didn’t expect.

I also wanted to use writing to help me focus on the present and notice what was around me in the moment. I get stuck too much in the past and future. That was more difficult, but I practiced.

Finally, I hoped to rekindle the spark that writing has brought me in the past. For a while now, I’ve been bored with writing, and I wanted to change that. I think I did.

These are some of the things I learned through this challenge, in no particular order:

◦ Approach writing like I want to approach every day, with curiosity and not dread.

◦ I write more easily and more quickly if I don’t overthink. Too often I get waylaid by the “paralysis of analysis,” and I could tell when this was getting in my way.

◦ Just write. Don’t edit the first time through, as tempting as it is. In bullet journaling, we call it a brain dump. Natalie Goldberg advises to keep your hand moving. Both of these concepts were useful to me.

◦ Anything can be a topic when it comes to writing.

◦ Consider the primary audience when writing. In this case, it was me. Even though I wasn’t writing for others, knowing that there was a possibility that someone might read what I wrote helped keep me accountable, and also provided a framework for what I would and wouldn’t share.

◦ Write loose. Don’t tense up, physically, or emotionally.

◦ I can honor a commitment that I’ve made to myself. Even when I didn’t want to write or I was exhausted and just wanted to go to bed at the end of the day, I did it because I promised myself that I would. For me, this is huge. I often don’t follow through with things because “I don’t feel like it.”

◦ Some big projects cannot be procrastinated upon! Sometimes there is just no catching up.

◦ I have more creative energy and stamina early in the day than at the end. This is a shift from my youth. It’s important to know when you tend to be more creative and when you’re not.

◦ Write without expecting a “message“ or even a metaphor. Just write, but watch to see if one emerges.

◦ If one does happen along, and I have the time and energy to follow it, I can do so. But I know that I don’t “have to.“ Or I don’t have to today.

◦ Exploring and experimenting makes writing more fun … did I just use the “f” word? Otherwise, it can feel very much like drudgery.

◦ When I’m not sitting down and writing, when I’m doing something else, often ideas will flow. Then, when I do sit down, I feel a log jam. I tighten up. It’s important to relax my expectations, along with my body and my brain.

◦ And finally, when it gets hard, push through, or set a timer, take a short break, and get back to writing. But don’t quit.

What’s next? I want to keep writing. Seven days, however may be a bit much. I plan to take a couple of days off, think on this, and return with a plan. If you’re interested, stay tuned!

*The quote in the headline is by Frank Herbert. It seemed apropos.