Post #50: Thank You!
So this is the 50th post of the Great Writing Challenge 2012. For those of you who are regulars to this site, you will have noticed that I’ve been stuck on the 49th post for about a fortnight. Had a bit of a freak out about it, but then I realized that I freak out about numbers and failing and whole host of other strange nonsense, and so I just stopped procrastinating and moved on.
Fifty posts. It’s an achievement and I am going to bask in the sunshine of the achievement for a moment.
Ah, that’s brilliant.
I want to acknowledge just how much of a focus the Great Writing project 2012 has given me and how much I put into writing these posts. So many people have encouraged me along the way – even people I don’t personally know – and I am truly grateful for your support. I am also proud of achieving something I set out to do. I love writing, and it’s my life.
Thank you!
[Source]
Since the meltdown in Bilbao shortly before Christmas, I have come far. I stood up and said that I would do something. And the person I want to thank specifically is the American. He’s like a wise old owl that knows exactly what to say, even if I don’t want to hear it. He challenges me to be the best I can be, and I hope I do as good a job doing the same for him. I am super lucky the stars aligned. And I love Bilbao more than you could imagine for the perfect storm that made me face my fears.
With the Great Writing Challenge 2012, I also feel misplaced guilt about the fact that there have been a few weeks that have passed without a post, and I promised five. Or that sometimes, I really thought what I ended up putting out was bollocks. But you know what? Life happens. I have a full-time job (which winds up being so much more than full-time), and this is just one of my extra-curricular activities. And oftentimes, I try so hard that I burn out. Sometimes, I just need some time to myself, which can be very tricky in less than 375 square feet.
Life happens.
[Source]
For some reason (and perhaps it has something to do with having my name on this blog), I strive for perfection. In other aspects of my life, that’s not the way I operate at all. As it pertains to my writing, I am learning to be less precious about it. Sometimes, you just have to do it, even if what you produce is not going to win you a Pulitzer. It’s time to banish those feelings of guilt for ‘phoning things in’. It’s not the end of the world. This is the discipline part I am still working through, as you can see…
I have really enjoyed this writing experience, so I am going to extend the Great Writing Challenge until the end of the year. To ease the inner-guilt, I am going to alter it slightly from five posts a week to at least three. A happy medium for all.
One of the things I will try to improve on as I continue with the Great Writing Challenge 2012 is to actively comment on other people’s work in the blogosphere. It’s so important to engage with people, to give feedback. I have valued every one of the comments on my writing, both good and bad. It’s such a thrill when I get the ‘you have a comment’ email from WordPress. It’s a thrill to provoke interest and opinions in others.
Who knows what the next six months hold for me? But I am so glad that you’re along for the ride.
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Welcome to the fiftieth post of the Great Writing Challenge of 2012.
At least three days a week until the end of the year, I will post about a topic of choice. The stipulation: it must be 250 words (or more), and positive in tone.
If you would like to suggest topics for me to write about, please email me at TheRebeccaProject [at] gmail [dot] com.
