After the popularity of Post a Day and Post a Week from The Daily Post, I’ve decided that doing a post a week would be a brilliant way of making sure I keep up with my blogging. I know that I’ve been more active recently and that is probably why I’m thinking that in times of less productivity, this would be a way to motivate me and prompt interesting posts. When I started this blog, I wanted a space where I could discuss and vent about things, my personal things and things that matter to me. When I started, I was already a veteran blogger from over at blogspot and then wordpress with the feminist blog. I wanted a more anonymous space, yet once I made the feminist space private, I decided that this would be the focus of my writing. I used to write more about my life, and about what was happening in it, especially at University and with Women’s Studies.
Looking back, it is great to have all those posts that show my progress from there to here – a place more positive and forward thinking. I wasn’t sure what I was doing, and I mean, I’m still not 100% sure, but I know what I want to be doing, which is much more than I had when I started. And blogging has helped me get to this place because I have constantly been blogging through it all. Writing is what pulls me out of all sorts of things, it has given me opportunities and has been there through the good and bad; the times when I felt like despairing, the times when I finally pulled myself out of it all, bit by bit. It isn’t so much having an audience, but it does help because it pushes me to write interesting things, things that make me interested and therefore create a bit of discussion or help other people feel less alone. Blogging is less of a pastime for me; it is essential, for my sanity and for the sheer novelty of having a space of my own out in this wilderness.
Anyway, back to post a week. I don’t think I can manage A Post A Day, because I’ve got other assignments and projects to get on with. It is important to me to keep this going, so I’ll either use Plinky or The Daily Post for inspiration if I’m not feeling like I’ve got much to say! There are lots of things coming up in the next few months, so I will be posting about interesting things, promise. For one, I’ll be at the Edinburgh Festival, and there are a few London Festivals happening (and free!) that I’m looking forward to. Then there are books to review, films to discuss and theatre to wax lyrical about. I’m hoping that I’ll also be able to find a way to integrate my three blogs (and website) more effectively, so readers can access all of these websites if they want to. Hopefully setting up my businesses will be interesting too, so I might be blogging about my progress. Watch this space!
At the moment I’m attempting two books at once – one non-fiction: A Daughter of Isis: The Early Life of Nawal El Sadaawi by Nawal El Sadaawi, and one fiction, Mary Reilly by Valerie Martin. I’m also still in the process of getting through the exercises in Old Friend From Far Away: The Practice of Writing Memoir by Natalie Goldberg. I doubt I can finish both those books by the end of June on Thursday, but I’m going to give it a try! I’m still behind by around 6 books on my 60 books this year challenge. I doubt I’ll make it…but its fun to try.
I’ve also reached 10 days in a row (unbroken days, I’ve written more than ten days but all with gaps of a day or so between them) on 750words.com thanks to Natalie Goldberg’s writing prompts. It really helps when you’re struggling to start writing or struggling to feel inspired, but I feel like with these fantastic guides at your back, motivation can be achieved. At the moment, there’s a heatwave on in London, so I’m absolutely fed up with sitting in my room writing, but I’ve got fans going up in this attic room. Heat rises, so its sweltering up here. I will definitely venture outside today.
Wishing everyone a wonderful week – hope the weather is good where you are, and that you stay safe if stuck in heatwaves like this (or worse).
Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it. ~ Russel Baker
Cats and Chocolate 