Typing into the Void

Hi! I’m not sure how to start this off - I’ve never written a blog entry before. In fact, I am 99.99% sure the only people reading this entry are my husband and my parents (hi guys). But hey - everyone has to start somewhere, right? 

I’ve journaled since I was 6 years old. It has been even more helpful for me than therapy (although therapy is still great, and I do recommend). In truth, I’m viewing this as another form of a journal, albeit online and with the added flair of a fancier presentation. I have always loved to write - casual journaling, poetry, and short stories. That hyper, almost-itchy feeling when a story is inside your head and buzzing to be let out is one of the best feelings in the world. 

A couple of months ago, I embarked on the arduous and probably slightly insane journey towards writing a book. It feels impossible and terrifying, which is how I know that it is most likely more than worth it. Can you hear the self-doubt in my words? But nevertheless, I turned on the Beyonce Renaissance album on Spotify, hid my phone from myself, and made a meticulously anal daily/weekly word count schedule. Looking at those numbers made me feel like I might vomit, so I wrote down a few affirmations, and started with word 1. And here we are at 60,000 words! The finish line is beginning to fade into sight.

It’s been easy and hard, fast and so slow. Some days it flows out like pressure that’s been building inside me for days, waiting to erupt in a flood of glorious creativity. Other days it’s like sludge out of an old faucet. But I promised myself to show up and keep hammering away at it. 

I meant to start this blog a while ago as a way to track myself and see how the process changes me over time, things I learn from podcasts and books, and things I learn from putting pen to paper. So far, it has been a lot! But more of that to come later. I’m not here to try my hand at breaking into the golden gated world of bookfluencer-dom or become the next Donna Tartt (although a girl can dream). My experiences aren’t particularly profound, and my words are just the words of a young writer who is trying to learn. But even if no one else reads them, they’re important to me. And so I will continue to type into the void - hoping that if this reaches anyone out there, you’ll know that it’s okay to reach for things that feel impossibly far away! We will sink or swim together. 

Until next time!

R