Whither Blog?

My last post was in January. In the annual Pet Blogger’s Challenge, I said I my blogging goal would continue to be one post per month.

I blew that in February.

Not that I didn’t write a post. It’s still sitting in my drafts folder. I wrote it in the middle of February, meaning to go back and review it and publish it before the end of the month.

I forgot. Or rather, I kept remembering, thinking, “I’ll do it when I finish what I’m doing now… tomorrow morning… before I go to bed…” and of course by the time I finished doing what I was doing, or tomorrow morning rolled around, or I fell into bed, I forgot again.

Then March came, and I thought, “I have to publish that piece. I know it’s a little lame, but who cares. I need to get back on track. Not everything you write will be Nobel-worthy.”

And again, March came and went and nothing got posted.

Meanwhile, in the blogosphere of which I am part, a number of excellent blogs closed down officially. Rescued Insanity published “Post 902.”  Bringing Up Bella said farewell. I read this end-of-blog missives, and thought, “Wow. The ‘real blogs’ are closing up shop. Why am I persisting?”

Many years ago, I identified myself as a writer. I did my undergraduate degree in Creative Writing, which was, ironically, the death knell of my ever really writing again. I found I didn’t get along with other writers. We had different values and priorities. I tried submitting a few short stories, a few query letters, got rejected, and gave up. Real writers don’t give up. They get hundreds of rejections and keep on going. But I didn’t write anything for over a decade.

Blogging allowed me to reclaim that part of my identity. It’s a safe way to call yourself a writer. I don’t send myself rejection letters. Even though the more successful bloggers are calling it quits, I can’t bring myself to do that. Even though I have a new career now, writing is still part of who I am. When I took a career evaluation tool called the Strong Interest Inventory during my degree, it showed artistic as my most dominant trait. While my personality doesn’t allow me to pursue writing as a full-time career (too full of rejection, to isolating, too financially uncertain), that artistic piece still needs expression. And this blog helps me do that.

So excuse my absence over the last few months, and forgive me if those absences occur every now and again. I just sold my house, and I’m moving in a few short months, so I’m justifiably distracted. I hope I can get back on track. But in the meantime, here’s a picture of the animals so this can still be considered a pet blog.