Wednesday night when I got home from work, I faced choices--either think of something to post about (when I didn't really have a specific idea) to keep the streak going . . . or to let it go and focus on the work that I needed to do that night. Needless to say, I chose to acknowledge that the post challenge was just an artificial device to get me to focus on the discipline of blogging. I think in that aspect, the challenge succeeded. I have been pleased with the number of posts I was able to string together for so long and most of them were of interesting quality.
When I talked about the broken streak at work today, it was suggested that I could just write a few new posts and back-date them to fill in the missing days. After all, who would remember six months from now what was authentic and what was not? But the point of the endeavor, as I noted before, was to make blogging a more intentional discipline than it had been for me in the past, something that I fit into my routine of living, something that allowed me to reflect on my daily experiences and put a spin of interpretation on it. I don't think have 365 posts, just for the sake of a recognizable number, would be worth achieving.
So, I'll just pick up the thread where I dropped it and move on.
[Random Friday night/Star Wars movie-watching thought]: How intelligent a group of protectors can the Jedi be if they intentionally allow Young Ani Skywalker to march into a hanger deck bay of droid gunmen--basically into a shifting web of laser blaster fire all around the boy (who doesn't have any means of protecting himself, let's note)--and simply say "Take cover, Ani!" Why don't they tell him to hide beyond the hanger bay doors, BEFORE they are enveloped by a hail of laser fire? It's just a good thing that droids can't shoot for shit. Moving on.]
Maybe my next blogging goal (after this year is up) will be improving the writerly quality of my posts. It'll be a difficult challenge and I probably won't be able to do something every day. Because, quality writing involves drafting, reflecting, editing, and rewriting. That is definitely not something that I currently do with my blogging. [Right now, in fact, I'm writing while keeping the girls company while they watch Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. Not exactly the most conducive atmosphere for thoughtful, pensive, meaningful writing.]
Most of the time, when I'm writing every day, I can only find minutes here and there to squeeze thoughts together--either before dinner, when Hannah's getting a bath (if I'm not doing it . . . which usually I'm not), or after the kids go to bed. So, I'm hitting and missing at small moments during the day. The only reliable time for consistent writing is after 9 pm. And by then my mind is tired and just wants to watch TV or read a book.
Improving the quality in the future means identifying a theme and working on parts of it when I can, then revisiting and refining and improving later. We'll see how it goes. But not now.
I do have some ideas to pursue in the next few days--especially a description of my "This American Life" experience on Thursday night. I'll maybe get to that tomorrow.
1 comment:
thoughtful, pensive, meaningful - oh my!
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