The other day I was poking around the website, and what did I find? That I’ve written only one post per month for the past few months. Wow, that’s pretty awful.
Which leads me to contemplate my writing goals. It certainly wasn’t my intention to post just once per month. Granted, I didn’t have a specific frequency in mind (maybe once per week?), but I’m a far cry from whatever that goal might have been be.
It’s not like I don’t have things to say. I have plenty to say. Currently, it’s mostly political stuff. I’m not a great follower of politics in general, but the past few months have made me care very much about this country. In the wake of January 6th, I’ve pondered questions such as “What defines a patriot?” Then there’s my curiosity about whether we’ll see an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases among Texans and spring-break participants in the coming weeks. And let’s not forget all the ways Congress sucks.
The problem is, whenever I try to write down my thoughts, the words fail me. Posts I’ve so eloquently organized in my mind just disappear. I envy people like Jim Beaver and K.J. Charles, who seem to be able to easily discuss even controversial topics in meaningful, intelligent ways.
K.J. Charles is an author specializing in gay historical romance. She’s an excellent writer and much-admired in the GoodReads m/m romance community. She blogs mostly about writing (tips) and books (reviews). But every once in a while she’ll write about feminism (women’s place in history, or lack thereof), equality (of all people), and other social causes. She easily addresses topics I’ve often thought about, but can’t seem to put into words—certainly not without hours of frustration, thesaurus searching, and hair pulling.
Jim Beaver, a character actor best known (and most popular) for playing Bobby Singer on Supernatural for 15 years, often posts on Facebook. He writes about whatever is on his mind or in his feed. Sometimes it’s political, oftentimes it’s personal. His posts, which occasionally cover controversial issues, always seem to flow effortlessly while still being intelligent and logical. I admire that. (It doesn’t hurt that I share many of his political beliefs.) I wonder, does he struggle with his words? It doesn’t appear so. His writing seems to flow naturally. It’s like the words just pop out of his fingertips.
Then again, Beaver is a published author—a professional writer. K.J. Charles writes for a living. Is it easier for them to organize their thoughts? Is their command of language superior to regular folks? Possibly. Maybe their brains aren’t as jumbled as mine. I’ve always been considered a “good writer.” (Not professional by any means! Or even English Lit good. Just generic student good.) But I often have trouble organizing my thoughts in a cohesive, meaningful way. It takes me a long time to write something coherent. Heck, there have been times when it’s been so difficult to write a cohesive, I just made lists, regardless of the topic.
So, the big question is: Can I improve my brain by writing for one hour a day? Will the words come more freely if I make writing regularly a habit? I dunno. Perhaps if I keep to my goal, we’ll find out in 2021…
Except that my priority writing goal for 2021 isn’t about blogging. Whaaat?!? Yeah. Stay tuned for more on that. But not for a few days because after having spent 3 days (and far more than 3 hours) getting this post together, I need to get back to that other goal.
Stream of Conscience 
Okay, first? Love the intriguing teaser at the end. 🙂
Second, I can say with a LOT of confidence that those posts do not flow as effortlessly at they seem to. It’s *possible* they don’t have hours and hours of thought and emotion and jumbled messes in their heads that evolve into slightly more coherent combinations of words that can then be put down on paper (typed on a keyboard) and refined over and over and over again until we get what they hit “post” on. But I think they’d be pretty rare birds if they can do that. 🙂 The effortless flow is evidence of the hard work.
Also, maybe the scarcity rule applies here, with your post frequency. I’m always super-excited when it pops in my inbox. I’m special—I’ll *always* be excited to see your stuff—but more casual readers, who knows? Maybe they hang on your words much harder because we aren’t gifted with them as often!
Aw, you’re the best! I guess it’s as Chuck said in his first Supernatural appearance (before he became a jerk), “Writing is hard.” 😊
Hee! I thought of you at the end of the post and ALMOST posted what the goal is. But decided the cliff-hanger was better, which likely makes me a hypocrite because I HATE television cliff-hangers.
And hey, I’m okay with only a few replies (but I’m always anxious to see what you have to say). I do the blog for me, not for fame or fortune. Besides, I’d get nervous if it became popular.
Hee. Yes, one of Chuck’s truest lines! 🙂