Chop Wood, Carry Water

Use with permission: https://www.flickr.com/photos/futureshape/4977096245

I used to not partake in any type of writing classes, because I was just a blogger.

In fact, I wouldn’t even admit that I was a blogger for many years. I was just archiving things for my children. I was just documenting a trip to Kenya. I was just using my blog to connect with other parents and single mothers.

I was blogging but I wasn’t a blogger.

Because bloggers have ads on their pages,something I’ve never wanted for this site. And bloggers spend all their time writing, and I only write when my mind can’t contain things any longer. And bloggers make money from their post, and that has never been my motivation.

Being a blogger came with some negative connotations and even I bought into them.

It has been 41/2 years since I started this site. In that time it has had half a million visitors from over 200 countries, not counting those who have read my posts through a different venue. Blogging has seen my children through their toddler years, it has followed me across oceans, it has preserved stories from my own childhood and it has helped me connect with some amazing and inspiring people.

All because I’m a blogger.

I am a blogger. It is my craft of choice. There is no guilt in my voice when I say that anymore.

Because I now understand that blogging isn’t about ads, non-stop writing, and making money. Blogging is about sharing, connecting and learning.

Maybe I’ll never be published but I choose to publish myself every month with a single click and just as much anxiety as any other writer feels when their baby is no longer theirs.

Maybe my posts are written in under half an hour, and maybe they lack the proper form and function that an editor could bring. But blogs start conversations in a way other pieces of writing cannot: timely, immediate feedback, and ongoing.

Maybe I’ll never have the time or patience to sit down and finish a substantial piece of writing. But I’ll chip away at my story, one post at a time, pounding my keyboard while my thoughts trickle down to a place where they might someday make a significant pool.

I now take advantage of every writing opportunity I can find, with the goal of writing even better blogs.

Because I’m a blogger.

I’m so glad that I am.