On Writing [Probably Not So] Well

I’ve felt recently that something has been missing in my life. I can’t pinpoint when this started, whether it has to do with becoming a mom. I thought I missed doing something creative every day so I started fitting in scrapbooking, card-making or even just reading about these things, into my over-scheduled day. It often happened at midnight, making for one sleep-deprived mom, but it did make me feel more fulfilled. Yet I still felt like something was missing.

Then I wrote a letter to my city’s parking commission opposing a petition for permitted parking on my street. A really boring matter but I went through a whole process to draft this letter—finding my voice, developing a lead, crafting supporting statements, selecting just the right words…revising, refining. I became a bit obsessed. And it was then that I realized that what I miss is writing.

I’ve been doing research on social media for my job. When I’m asked to do something outside of my comfort zone, I like to spend quite a bit of time learning all I can about it, reading about what other people are doing, talking about it and thinking about the best way to begin before I jump in. I’ve spent days perusing Facebook pages, trawling the Twitterverse and blog-hopping my way around, following a multitude of topics. I’ve been reading a lot of other people’s words and it has gotten me thinking about my own.

I know there was a reason I started to blog. I thought it was to share my craft projects. Now I am realizing that my creative endeavors go beyond pages and cards. I used to keep a journal. I haven’t in years. I do journal on my scrapbook pages, but it’s not quite the same.

I know it’s naïve to think I’ll somehow have the time to start writing every day. I feel like I’m so out of practice that by the time I warm up and get going, there’s no time left to finish, let alone polish and perfect. I’m not totally sure where that leaves me. I guess it’s time to call the research phase over, jump in and see where it gets me. So I apologize in advance for any unfinished ideas, tangential ramblings or grammatical gaffes. This girl’s just got to write.