I can't believe it has been so long since my last post. Although I have been keeping my notebook, I don't feel like I have spent enough time keeping up with my writing life lately. One of my biggest struggles is finding the time to fulfill all of my day job obligations while still being faithful to my writing life. I have heard other writers speak of this, so I am pretty sure the struggle is real. I wonder how other writers embrace this challenge. What are some ways to return to a writing life? How can we build back the stamina after taking those longer breaks from writing? I have been thinking a lot about these questions, so I have been trying different ways to take back my writing life. To begin with, I did an assessment of my writing. I gathered my notebooks and looked carefully at my entry dates. I wanted to see just how much writing I was producing across the days and months of a year. And honestly, it made me sad at first to think of all the days that slipped by without my words upon the page. But then I found that this really did motivate me to reclaim my writing life. I decided that if my first step was to write daily or consistently, I was going to have to be strategic. So I put my notebook by my bed with a pen and a pencil, and I made a point to reach for it every night before I turned out my light. I also found that rereading entries and even thumbing through previous notebooks really jump started my writing back to life. I know there must be other ways to return to writing, but I think finding what works for you just takes a little assessment and exploration of your writing life. I discovered that if I got caught up in thinking about all the things "I should be..." doing other than writing, I would miss out on living. And I wouldn't miss that for the world! No matter what, don't give up. You are a writer, so keep writing!
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AuthorWelcome! I'm Kiesha Shepard, and I have a love for writing and the teaching of writing. Whispers From the Ridge is a place where I can share my words and ideas for teaching writing. It's also a place for you to find inspiration for writing the words inside of you. I invite you into my world of writing as I capture the whispers from the ridge. Follow by Email
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2 Laura at Laura Shovan 9 Margaret at Reflections on the Teche 16 Molly at Nix the Comfort Zone 23 Kat at Kathryn Apel 30 Becky at Sloth Reads August 6 Mary Lee at A(nother) Year of Reading 13 Christie at Wondering and Wandering 20 Carol at The Apples in My Orchard 27 Elisabeth at Unexpected Intersections September 3 Heidi at my juicy little universe 10 Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect 17 Denise at Dare to Care 24 Laura at Laura Purdie Salas October 1 Catherine at Reading to the Core 8 Irene at Live Your Poem 15 Bridget at wee words for wee ones 22 Jama at Jama's Alphabet Soup 29 Linda at TeacherDance November 5 Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference 12 Matt at Radio, Rhythm & Rhyme 19 Carol at Beyond LiteracyLink 26 Ruth at there is no such thing as a God-forsaken town December 3 Michelle at Michelle Kogan 10 Cathy at Merely Day by Day 17 Jone at Jone Rush MacCulloch 24 Buffy at Buffy Silverman 31 Carol at Carol's Corner |