There are many reasons that I began this blog, although I don’t think I’ve ever taken the time to articulate any of them. One of them, however, I was reminded of Tuesday night while attending a Crosby, Stills, and Nash concert with my mom. (Btw, the concert was amazing!…if you are reading this blog and have no idea who Crosby, Stills, and Nash are check out: Southern Cross or Just a Song Before I Go…yep, it was me and a bunch of old hippies at the concert–it was wonderful 🙂 )

So there I was (I guess you can’t really see me, but you might be able to imagine where I was given this photo of the band I took from my seat):

listening to some amazing musicians when I heard David Crosby say, “I fulfill the role of writing some weird sh*t” and the crowd responded with cheering. (And yes, me quoting that directly means I took out my phone and noted it word for word…I’m cool.) It was awesome, and exactly what I needed to hear. Earlier that day I had received yet another manuscript rejection. As a writer, I get that rejection is a part of the process, and that it won’t happen all of the time. I imagine though, it will probably always be a bit of a bummer when it does happen and that is the space I was in…a bummed out sort of place. I skimmed the feedback on the way to the concert, and I know that I will continue spending time with it so that I can improve the manuscript and resubmit somewhere else (hopefully resulting in a more favorable outcome the next time). All of this, however, reminded me of one of the reasons I started this blog (amazing what one comment from David Crosby can do!), which was to write more often.

I believe that writing is a skill, and one that I have had to work quite hard at over the years. I wish I was one of those people who could just churn out a publishable article in one or two settings, but I am not. Instead, I experience a laborious process of continual writing and rewriting (aka editing…sometimes I wonder if somehow I skipped a few grammar lessons here and there??), but perhaps the most challenging part of the process is managing my own self-talk. UGGG!! The voices in my head that question if I am any good at it, if what I am writing makes sense, and then most annoying is the voice that says, “It just seems like everyone else has a much easier time writing than you do.” I often respond back with “Just keep working at it…putting in hard work will pay off” and “You don’t have a clue what the process is that other people use to write and who really cares anyway! Just keep trying your best!” and then I get back to writing.

So, now you know one of the reasons I had for starting up my blog…to practice my writing skills (which I highly recommend to others who are a bit more like me when it comes to the writing process). And, if you are anything like me when it comes to writing, hopefully knowing that David Crosby is on our team brings a bit of comfort 🙂 (I also recommend listening to this video of him singing Turn, Turn, Turn next time you need a writing break).