You may have heard it said that there are no new plots. If I want to write a short story or a novel, I want my material to be fresh, unique. What can I write about?
1. Rich boy meets poor girl, parents dis- approve, but they conquer all in the name of love.
2. Rich girl meets poor boy, parents dis- approve, but they conquer all in the name of love.
3. Poor boy meets poor girl, they discover their love is stronger than any financial/medical/family crisis.
4. Poor boy/girl befriends a lonely, older man/woman and receives a large inheritance in return.
Do you see where I'm headed with this? It's been done before. So, why should I write? If I can't come up with an original plot why bother?
And, what about blogging? What could I possibly blog about that hasn't been covered ad nauseam? Family issues? Parenting issues? Faith issues? Dealing with a chronic illness?
Again, it's all been done before. So, why blog?
I asked myself that very question when it was suggested I start a blog. I came up with these reasons, and a few questions:
1. I can write from a fresh perspective because my life's experiences are unique to me and while my potential readers will not have had the same experiences, they may relate more closely to what I am saying than they would to someone else. Does that mean my readers will all be middle-class farm wives living in the Midwest?
2. Writing is therapeutic for me. I find it easy to spill my heart onto paper, or the computer screen. My hope is that if writing is therapeutic for me, reading what I've written will be therapeutic for others. Does that mean every blog should reflect my soul-searching?
3. I love people. Ask my family. There are no strangers, just friends I haven't met, yet. I can't stay in touch with everyone I meet, so I use blogging to keep everyone up to date. Does that mean I have to include details on a daily basis?
I started blogging in December of 2010. I truly didn't know what I was doing. In July of 2010, I didn't even know what blogging was! I wanted to give it a try, and wrote a few entries. Christmas celebrations and family gatherings distracted me and I didn't write consistently, though I wanted to. January brought the news we had dreaded - my mother-in-law's cancer was growing.
I wrote as often as I could, sometimes I was just too weary to write. When I did write, I was encouraged by my followers' feedback. As they would cheer me on, I was motivated to write. I can name four followers who told me (in person) that they were disappointed when I didn't blog for a few days, as they enjoyed "chatting" with me.
And, as for the questions I asked myself...
1. No, my readers aren't all middle-class farm wives living in the Midwest. In fact, very few are.
2. I am still trying to develop a pattern for the content I want to cover, but it is important to me to be able to blog about humorous events, not just the events that shake me to the core.
3. I try to write conversationally. I picture my readers in my living room enjoying a piece of homemade pie and an ice cold drink. I may not "hear" what my readers have to say, but I write as if I know what they want to ask. People rarely ask about the little stuff: what you had to eat, how well you slept, etc. so, I'm not going to include the boring details.
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