I have been absent for some time. I don’t know when I decided that I should stop blogging, or even if it was an active decision. More than likely I got out the habit and since then have believed that my voice just isn’t important – or distinctive – enough to be heard. But it’s time to reinvest in myself.
The blog was never really intended for other people: I didn’t plan to write for an audience. It was for me – to spur me on, to keep me accountable and allow me some thinking space to consider my writing ambitions. I still have thoughts of having my novel accepted for publication, submitting and winning short story competitions and seeing my name in print. I think I just put them away for a while and hid them from view while I tried out some new dreams: mainly buying a home of our own and adopting a new puppy.
So here I am, sat at the same old desk in a new house with a fantastic view to Manchester, and plans for my partner to build me a Summer ‘Plotting Shed’ one day. Yet, I’m not earning my right to be called a writer: I am not writing. I haven’t forgotten how to write, but I have neglected the commitment required to own that moniker.
But now is the time to recommit. And what better way to do that than to push myself to write something every day in the month of May? Much like the Story a Day in May challenge I have decided I will adapt and reinterpret this idea and write something each day for the next thirty days. I need to build a habit, rediscover a passion for words and believe in my ability to commit to writing something every day; no matter what it is. So for the next month I will be anticipate musings on life, dog-ownership, walking and writing, quotes or images I find interesting or inspiring, and potentially some serious philosophical observations. Whatever this challenge might be, boring is not it.