L.G. Keltner is hosting the Beginnings Blogfest today. It's all about how you first began writing/blogging. Here's how it all began for me:
As a kid I was surrounded by people who inspired my love of words. My dad loved reading Dr. Seuss books to me backward, not just the sentences but each individual word. My brother and I had contests on who could guess the other person's backward sentences. My grandma would always be making up silly rhymes that she repeated over and over.
In fifth grade my teacher had us use our spelling words to create stories. This was my favorite part of the school day.
Then my mom and I started writing little picture books together. I remember more laughing than writing but it we loved sharing the creative process.
During my teen years, I spent every spare minute writing poetry and journal entries. My favorite place to write was up at my grandpa's cottage in Michigan. I would sit on the dock and let the rhythm of the waves guide my pen.
I wrote all through college and even into the beginnings of marriage and motherhood. I even started sending manuscripts out. But the constant rejection and the dwindling of free time as my kids grew convinced me to put it aside.
A couple years ago, I realized I wanted and needed to be writing again. The kids were old enough to not need me every second of the day so I picked up my pen again. And I'm so thankful I did. While I haven't had any major successes yet, I started blogging, I finished the first draft of my novel, I managed to get an article published in a small national magazine and I've met so many wonderful people. It's been a wonderful journey and I can't wait to see where it all leads!
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Upcoming events:
Nick Wilford at Scattergun Scribblings is hosting a blogfest called Overcoming Adversity. He will be putting together an anthology of the entries to help send his son, Andrew, who has cerebral palsy, to college.
And are you ready for the A-Z? It will be here before you know it. I'm determined this year to come up with a theme and write at least some of the posts in advance.
And don't forget the next Knights of MicroFiction is coming up on Tuesday, January 15th. Details to come on Friday
Where did your journey begin? Do you have an A-Z theme yet? Will you join us this month for the Knights?
Kathy :)
Glad you began writing again. I don't think you could've escaped it for long.
ReplyDeleteI already know my theme for the Challenge this year!
Good for you for coming back. It's always hard when you think something that's a huge part of your life is over, but awesome that it could come back with in such a strong way with your daughters beside you. I have no doubt you'll make it someday :)
ReplyDeleteI love the thought of your dad reading Dr. Seuss backwards, I can't imagine how he did it! How cute. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to meet you through this fest, and glad you started blogging. Good luck as you continue your journey!
Wish I could have heard Dr. Seuss backwards. Glad you came back to writing, and here's wishing you the best!
ReplyDeleteYes, now that my kids are in college, I have plenty of time to write. Good luck with 2013!
ReplyDeleteI won't be doing A-Z on my personal blog (too much work! haha) But on FFF we'll be doing it :)
ReplyDeleteI started writing just as I was finishing college. Didn't write almost ANYTHING before that.
Now... I'm kinda obsessed :) It's great that writing's been a part of your life for so long. How fulfilling!
Thanks for sharing your journey - I love how your writing began in the sweet comfort of family, and the challenge of a fun assignment from a teacher, and then developed more and more over the years.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
And I have three ideas for A to Z, but I haven't decided yet.
Alex, thanks, you're right I just couldn't stay away.
ReplyDeleteJ.A., it has been wonderful to share the journey with Jess and Alyssa.
Julie, nice to meet you too!
T,me too! Thanks, the best to you too!
Jolie,my kids start leaving the nest in about 2 years. Good luck to you too!
Kelley, writing is addictive isn't it? I'm glad you found it!
I am glad that there are other people out there that understand "I need to write"! ;)
ReplyDeleteAlso thanks for the Overcoming Adversity link.
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Tim Brannan
The Other Side
The Freedom of Nonbelief
I'm glad you started writing again. It sounds like you had a childhood filled with fun uses of language, and that isn't something you can ever shrug off entirely.
ReplyDeleteI don't yet have any big writing successes, but I'm hopeful and determined.
Thanks for participating in my blogfest!
I like stories of childhood. Yours reminded me of mine. Of course mine was among dragons. :) Nice to meet you.
ReplyDeleteMy blog has really helped me start writing again and I love it for that reason alone. I'm doing the A-Z challenge for the first time this year and am getting nervous already! I have a theme in mind, but I'm not sure about it.
ReplyDeleteI know I have to get a healthy chunk of those posts done ahead of time, because my mat leave is done March 1 and there's no way I'll be able to write decent posts every day in April.
I'm visiting from L.G.'s blogfest - nice to meet you!
Hi, popping in from LG's blogfest. LOL at your dad reading to you backwards! I read to my son a LOT, and yet I don't think I could've managed it backwards. :-)
ReplyDeleteI began like you - writing like crazy when I was younger and then not picking it up again until much later.
ReplyDeleteWas great reading about your writing journey. Dr Seuss backwards! Hard enough straight on at times!
ReplyDeleteI'm entering the Overcoming Adversity blogfest but I have no idea of my story yet. I have too many project as always.
I stopped writing for many years as well. It sounds like you are truly loving getting back to writing again. Yay!
ReplyDeleteIt's great that you picked up on writing again, it clearly stayed with you! I would definitely get my tongue twisted up reading Dr Seuss backwards - that must have been fun.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the shout about the blogfest!
I've been writing since 1984, literally as long as I've known how to write, and have never stopped.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to try a double theme for my A-Z posts this year.
Pleased you decided to write again, I too thought I'd had enough, deleted my blog but felt like a fish out of water, Am looking forward to the A to Z Challenge.
ReplyDeleteMy new blog can be found on yvonne lewis68.blogspot.com
Yvonne
like mother like daughter
ReplyDeletelike mother like daughter
keep passing it on =)
sweetness!
I also grew up in a house that loves words.
ReplyDeleteMy grandmother is a published author and so I never really saw writing as an impossible activity.
Basically wrote from the day I could write. :-)
It definitely sounds like this creativity is in your blood :) Glad that you picked up that pen again!
ReplyDelete