So this is the 50^th 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 49^th 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.

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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.

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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.