Put one foot in front of the other

Writing is hard. 
It takes patience, inspiration, and...words. 

I always want to write in theory, but in reality, sometimes the words (and the patience, and the inspiration) don't come. And recently, I've just been in a not having the words kind of season. 

I have the occasional kernel of an idea bouncing around in my head, but lately those seeds haven't been popping into full blown written thoughts. It takes effort to put pen to paper (even electronically) and right now, there are so many other things calling (screaming) for my attention- so they're winning. But I miss writing. The action, but also the end product. I want to express my stories, and I want to have those stories recorded for the future.  

Dustin and I were discussing an unrelated topic last night, when the idea of "Fake it 'til you make it" came up. I'm not typically a proponent of fake, but in this case, I really believe in the value of this concept. For me, it's not about pretending to be something I'm not. It's about putting one foot in front of the other (or both hands on the keyboard) and doing things even when I don't feel like it...because it's worth it. (And other such cliches). 

So I'm embracing all the pithy sayings and going for it. The best time to start is yesterday, but the next best time is today. Don't let perfect be the enemy of good. Just do it. Etc etc. and so on. 

But what am I actually committing to? Well, I'd love to say I'm going to blog more often (for me, not for my imaginary readers "clamoring for more", finish the baby journals that are currently sitting in electronic piles of drafts, and stretching myself into new writing styles and formats. But I gotta be real. Right now, I'll be lucky to eke out a line or two a day. So that's exactly what I'm going to do:

One Line a Day Journal! 

My mom found my grandfather's journal last week (really a couple journals, and an entire box full of photos and letters he wrote while he was serving in the war.) There aren't words for how awesome it was to dive into the collection of his stories and get to know a "him" of 65 years ago. Such a huge payoff for me now for the time he spent so long ago. 

So that's the impetus for my renewed promise to an old line a day journal of my own. I dug it out of the basement, and have been enjoying reading snippets of 2010 (the first and only year I wrote in it). It may have taken me five years to give it another go, but better late than never, something's better than nothing, and keep on keepin' on, I always say. 

 -------------------------------------

Psssst....Want to get all the Bowdenisms news delivered right to your inbox? 
YES PLEASE! Subscribe via email and never miss an -ism.  xox.