08 July 2013

Revamp

Dear Friends:

I am packing for a seriously awesome trip right now.  My clothes are packed into OCD approved little "packing squares".  I have piles of plug adapters and my camera batteries are charging and my guidebook is highlighted to within an inch of its life and my passport is out and I found my pack-now-fill-with-chocolate-later carry on and I am so. excited.  I love Europe.  It's been far too long since I put myself through some serious jet lag.  Bring it on.

But you know what else has been long in coming?

Some legit personal essays from yours truly.

See - once upon a time, this blog was meant to be a place for me to practice said form of writing with the intention of stock piling a set of essays with which to send into the publishing world or the grad school world or the internet world (check!) or whatever.  And after England 2007 I did pretty well.  I was full of ideas and had friends to share them with and I got writing scholarships and I was moving.  And then this thing called grown up life happened.  And now I spend more time reading the writing of other people than I do writing anything of my own, and it feels like most of what I write (while not a complete waste of time - right?) leans on the political/social commentary train more often than it does the interesting personal story train.  The second one is the train I love more.  Unfortunately, everything I've started in that area more or less revolves around my hot topics of the life of the perpetually single, teaching, and the perils of depression.  I have been suffering for creative ammunition because, frankly, I'm kind of tired about obsessing over those topics quite so much in my writing because I feel like I've exhausted all the angles and I am preeetty sure that you are tired of reading about my dating life, because, let's face it, no one cares about it.  Including me.  It's monotonous.

Also I've stopped doing what I used to be so much better with, which is observing and writing about others and my interactions with them (not in a mean gossipy way but in a human interest way).  My writing (in my journal and out of it) has been a basic travel log.  Boring.

So this is my promise to both you and to myself that in the next year, I am going to revisit the writing I love most of all and whip out some real, legitimate essays.  In the next two weeks (and later on my next exciting adventure) I am determined to find some creative muse that will give me ideas again.  It's time.

2 comments:

Lisa said...

Sounds divine, Joni! I can't wait to read your musings about life. Did you inner Gilbert get to your inner Anne? Either way, I look forward to your creative writing because you are oh, so creative when you write and it brings me such joy. My inner Marilla just craves it!

A. B. said...

Good for you Joni! And have an AWESOME trip!!!