Life's short, just write. Gratitude for a good year.

I’ve come to dislike the image of a blinking cursor on a blank Word document. Write. Write. Write, it taunts me. It’s those blank Word documents where inspiration goes to die, sucked away bit by bit with that blinking of the cursor.

I am exaggerating, of course. There are days where that blank document is a thrilling opportunity, the blinking cursor disappearing as words flow from my fingertips. In those moments, writing is such a joy.

My husband edits a lot of my writing (at my request, he wants me to add). We’ve spent many a Saturday morning on the couch with me side-eyeing him while he clacks away on his laptop, chewing on his shirt collar, offering suggestions in a shared Google Doc. Despite our different styles—he’s more direct, I’m “flowery”—I find that my writing ultimately ends up better for it. And I have to begrudgingly admit that some of my sentences are stronger when reduced from 25 words to 10. 

Nonetheless, writer’s block continues to be maddening, and you are kind of on your own for that. For every decent piece I manage to eke out, I feel like there are twelve half-finished pieces languishing in a google folder, possibly forever. 

“What is this garbage?”, I’ll ask myself.

“I am a terrible writer”. 

“WHY AM I DOING THIS?”

It’s a question I ponder often. Overcoming that self-doubt and negativity is an ongoing challenge. It’s all part of the process, I’ve been told. I think I believe it.

Going into 2023, my New Year’s resolution was to commit to a year of writing, and overall, it’s been a good year. In fact, I’d say I’ve done it. I tapped into a creative side of myself that felt like it had long been dormant and produced pieces that I’ve really enjoyed and hopefully some of you have as well.

Now that a year has passed, I’m asking myself what’s next. Do I want to continue to write? What kind of writing do I want to pursue? And what else do I want to do? 

I do want to continue writing. We’ll see what the year of 2024 brings. For those of you who have been following this blog, I really want to thank you. Your words of encouragement have made me a better writer, and it is such a joy to see you reading. 

And when I find myself wallowing in negativity and self-doubt, agonizing over a blinking cursor or a missed expectation, I’ll think of Grandma Gloria’s adage that helped bring me to this page in the first place: What’s the difference? Life’s short. Just write.