The Why...and the How

So in college I fell into this writer thing. I took a class by James Schaap. He told us that by the end of the semester one of his students would be published. I laughed. He was right. I was published.

The next semester I took an independent class with Dr. Schaap. They have these writing contests at my college. He told me I would win. I laughed. He was right. I won (with a different piece than the published one).

So all of this kinda made me feel like I should stop combing my hair, wear old/used clothes, stick a pencil behind my ear and join the ranks of those odd writer types. I’m nothing if not stereotypical. I’m also no good at conforming so I stick to my combed-hair-new-clothes-pen-on-the-keyboard self.

People often ask me how I come up with ideas for things to write about. I laugh. This has never been, and never will be, a problem for me. On any given day, at least 5 things merit the mental comment "I should so blog about this!" Clearly, only one of them is worthy (translation: remembered long enough) of winning the grand prize. On the rare occasion two qualify as being blog-worthy, I will actually write them and then post them for different dates. Shrieks in horror as she reveals her evil secret.

I find the most boring everyday things in life to be fascinating. I have great grand plans for writing about my pantry someday. I have written entire stories about events that could have been summed up in one sentence. I have a tendency to make a big deal out of really mundane simple experiences.

What is it about placing the evidence or my neurosis in print for the world to see? Why do I insist on writing about anything...and everything...that manages to strike my amusement?

I went to a writing conference in Michigan my last year in college. I met a few famous writers and remember clearly two things they told me.

1. Write what you know. You won’t find anything on this blog that isn’t personal to me.

2. Write every single day. And that, my dear friends, is why I do this so often.

Lots of people have blogs nowadays. When I started I really had no idea how much I would grow to love my blog. Writing all this stuff is very easy for me - it only takes me about 5 - 10 minutes to write a post - but it is also extremely therapeutic. I like writing and knowing someone out there will eventually read my ramblings.

I might consider writing and submitting something for publication again someday. But until then I will grace you with more of my blabberings.