Life of Wry

This is exactly what I’m looking at as I type this.  I’ve logged many hours today in this chair.  I think I’m proud of that.. though my butt’s sore. Besides eating too much, I’ve done some writing, some reading, part of a crossword puzzle, some dozing, and a little thinking.

December 27 is a good day for thinking.

I’m one of those people who loves the end of the year and the promise of a new year.  I’m tidy that way,  love organizing myself in neat chunks of time.  I’m quite the resolution maker. But I’m also a lot wiser than I used to be, so my resolutions are not too bad… really… informed by all kinds of good thinkers. A few very good plans for myself this year.  (Hope you’re smiling, and not rolling your eyes.) We can all benefit from reflection and efforts to walk this planet in top form, ya?

So.. doing that.  Thinking about the year ahead and priorities.

One thing I’ve not quite worked out is what to do with this blog. I’m not going to continue the photo-a-day writing prompt, but that’s not to say I’m not going to write.  Or take pictures.  I’ve loved both. The photo-a-day served a purpose, but writing turned out not to be one of them, even though that had been the intention.  I very much enjoyed the picture part, and while I didn’t set out to create a documentation of the year, per se, that’s pretty much what it became. A lot more journal and a lot less exploration of writing.

But the discipline of a daily writing practice was there (though the writing was anything but challenging). I made time for it and it happened.  I did not miss a single day (except when I was in Nepal and I was unable to access my computer.. but I’m backfilling those with a detailed travel log.. which I will finish soon).  I’m pleased with that.

The other thing I loved about the photo-a-day prompt was the record of the year I ended up with.  Nice.  (for me.)  The pictures tell a fairly complete story and the commentary–sometimes only captions–embellished that story.  The year 2011 is well documented!  As our family historian, self-appointed, that is a nice bonus.  So I think I’d like to continue that, but not in a wholly public way. Since it’s a blog, however, it’ll be out there, but I won’t cite it, promote it or whatever people do to blogs to get them read. I’ll enjoy doing it and having it, Peter’s family may also enjoy it one day, but that’s about it. And I’ll likely do it here at Life of Wry, and invite current subscribers to unsubscribe, lest they be barraged with mundane family stories and my own personal wanderings. I won’t kick you out…but won’t feel bad at all if you choose to slip out the back. I’ll be freer to just blog about family life, without the pretense of writing.. as all year long I’ve felt totally self-conscious about using this as a place for journaling family life.

Then, likely, I’ll set up a new blog for writing writing. Which I probably won’t cite or promote either, because then I’ll feel less likely to really reach.  On the other hand, that’s dumb.  Writing needs an audience, we need to write as though people are reading, otherwise what’s the point, right?

This is the part I need to figure out.  I also haven’t figured out what I’ll write… stories, poems, character studies, stream of conscious?  Formal, informal?  Just not sure.  But I want to take writing to some next level, whatever that might be.  Totally for the fun of it.  Stay tuned.

Need more chair by the fire time for that one.