Writing Process Blog Tour #9

Hey Ya’ll! I have the privilege of being Stop #9 on the Writing Process Blog Tour, thanks so much to Vincy Abraham at Verily Quirky (http://verilyquirky.wordpress.com) for the invite!

Vincy is newer to the blog world and will probably take the whole thing over in a year or two! My understanding of this tour is for each of us to share a little more of who we are, and give insight to our writing process. This won’t take long.

What is your background?

In life? In writing? Hmm….let’s just say that I have been married for 21 years and we have three teenagers. This amount of life experience has given me a lot of material to write about. I have no formal experience in writing, except to say that in college whenever I was given a test that required an essay, I knew I would be okay. Multiple choice killed me every stinking time.

What are you working on?

I’m working on living the best life I can muster, learning how to love others the way we are commanded in scripture: love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and love your neighbors as you love yourself. This is the greatest command. Mark 12:30

How does your work differ from others in its genre?

I don’t really know, I’m not terribly concerned with other peoples’ work, but I have noticed that my posts tend to be much shorter than most! It’s become kind of a game for me to see how I can convey a thought in the fewest words. For years I have faithfully read Seth Godin’s blog, every single day at around 5am he releases a gem, many of which have impacted my way of seeing the world. I know he will share something every day, and often his posts are short, so I feel he values my time. I think his consistency and respect for the reader made quite an impression on me.

Why do you write what you write?

I write because when I talk I say too much, or the wrong thing, or make the opposite point I had set out to. When I write, I have the luxury of time to roll an idea around in my head for a while first, better understanding what I am thinking and feeling about the thought. In person, if I think it I say it out loud and often it is gone, on to the next thought. Writing helps me to process my thoughts and turn them into more than a vapor.

Over the years people ask for advice or opinions on various topics and I have been told I should write a book a time or two. This is my way of sharing thoughts without the commitment of the written page.

I recently began sharing recipes, which may seem odd in a blog about your lovelife, but I love to cook and am asked for recipes or ideas for cooking a lot. This has been a good forum for sharing whatever I am making at the time.

How does your writing process work?

I don’t consider myself a writer or a runner, but I get most my ideas for writing while running. I don’t listen to music when I run, just to myself huffing and puffing and I think it opens me up to what God is trying to show me. Also, I learn best from watching and listening to others, so a lot of my ideas come from how I witness people around me living life. Many times I will have an idea for writing and not bother to make note of it, certain that it’s so obvious and important to me I couldn’t possibly forget it, only to then forget it. Incredibly frustrating. And common. Although I may have a concept roll around in my head for days or weeks, actually sitting down and writing takes me 10-20 minutes. If I spent more time than that on one post, I would consider it not ready to write and scrap it.

Well, that bit of introspection was fun. This may become the longest post I write, and it’s all about me! Let’s turn our focus on the next stop of our Writing Process Blog Tour, Rachel Toalson (http://racheltoalson.wordpress.com/).

I found Rachel’s blog a few months ago, and she is one that I read every time, not just when I have time. I believe you will be blessed by her vulnerability and wisdom, as I have.

Thanks so much for sticking with me in this navel gazing venture!