1.8.10

I will be posting every day in August.

I promised I would not be a prolific blogger.

But I will be posting every day for the month of August. Let me warn you now that most of these posts will be badly written. I will have no time to polish or edit.

Why will I post every day for a month? Have I lost my mind?

If I were telling the truth, I would say I am going to post every day as a writing exercise and a personal challenge. And I want to clutter up my template with one of those “I Did Nablopomo Last Month” (National Blog Posting...) badges.

However, these inspirational reasons are boring. They will not bring me more traffic, subscribers, or little heads following me in my sidebar. Also, these reasons are not the edgy punk rock of my “brand”.

So, I will share this story —

I e-mailed a friend, complaining (as I frequently do).

"Writers will not make any money," I wrote.

My friend replied, and I paraphrase, “You need to be crazy to be a writer.”

My friend is right. No sane person would choose to be a writer. Writing is a horrible profession.

When writing is going well, there is a high. But the lows are painful. It is dark and personal. You are always digging up old wounds. You need to be courageous, and you cannot be afraid to express something within you. And you also have a need to get it out, onto the page. Writing is miserable and very hard work.

Read to witness the trainwreck, or for delicious schadenfreude. A post every day for the month of August!

10 comments:

JulieG said...

How worried should I be that my eldest (all of 18) is leaving for college and his chosen major is.....creative writing? He has a gift and I do not want to compromise it. My 6th major in college was fine arts/weaving, so there may be no surprise there....

Alexandra said...

ah... but we write b/c for us there is no other way to live. Might as well take away our oxygen.

Aliceson said...

I'll be reading every day! No pressure or anything...

Neil said...

Looking forward to the trainwreck! I love reading.

jamie said...

I'm a writer. I don't like writing. I love having written.

As for your August goal -- you go girl!

Casey Freeland said...

Writing, for me, when it's good, is the greatest high there is. Well, save for great sex. I love the project. Perhaps modeled after NanoWrimo, which I did for four years and loved.

Good luck. Can't wait to read the results.

Casey

Caffeinated Weka said...

Looking forward to reading your posts each day!

Kate said...

I'll be writing every day too Juli. I'm an artist. I 'write' visually. If I can do it...

CiCi said...

It is interesting that you are drawn to write regardless of the negative aspects that seem to be always what is most known about writers. I like what The Empress says in her comment. I cheer you on and wish you happiness and success.

BALLET NEWS said...

Looking forward to your next post !