Is This Thing On? Why I Need to Write More in 2019.
Welcome to 2019, the year we’ve all been waiting for.
For a lot of people, 2018 truly pulled them through the wringer (myself included). So, we waited with bated breath for that big “reset” we’re gifted at the end of 12 months of anguish, not even the AirPods your mom got you for Christmas can compare with the gift of a new start. A new year, a new chapter, a new beginning, whatever you want to call it? It’s finally here.
The first day of my 2019 was somewhat uneventful, but maybe that’s what helped me take notice of the day itself more. I spent my day doing laundry, I drove my dad out to the state line to buy his smokes, and listened to a few albums from the 2018 selections I hadn’t quite finished digesting yet. There was nothing particularly special about January 1st, 2019, but I still felt a great deal of hope for the day, and for the year — and I couldn’t tell you why.
Perhaps the first day/week/month of January is shrouded in a sense of false hope each year and we just don't notice it. I mean, look at the resolutions we’ve been notorious to abandon so quickly; the diet and workout, or the travel plans or maybe redecorating the apartment? Have we realized that signing up for a gym membership and buying those cute Lululemon leggings aren’t going to cut it for a workout routine if we don’t have the motivation to even leave the house? Or that trying to travel outside of the country on a shoestring budget when you have bills to pay isn’t exactly feasible at this current stage of your life? Or maybe we realized that just buying tiny succulents and painting the walls of our bedroom yellow will NOT, in fact, cure our depression (sad I know, but I DO love my tiny succulents). So despite these rude awakenings, maybe this means that 2019 is the year we make reasonable and achievable goals for ourselves, and you know, actually achieve them... ALL YEAR LONG. Maybe instead of doing the same thing over and over that we know isn’t working, maybe we’re FINALLY picking up on that.
As I thought about my goals for the year, I got thinking about one thing in particular that I have always wanted to do; start a blog or column of some sort. For someone who’s a former Editor-in-Chief of a newspaper, I definitely don't publish enough writing anymore, and this has bothered me for quite some time. I’ve tried NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and the idea of writing a novel in a month was far too daunting for someone with my particular writing style. I’ve read books on creative writing (oh the irony) and different author’s writing process and have attempted to follow rigid writing prompts. I realized what I was doing wrong — I was following ambiguous tips and setting goals that weren’t meant for an individual; they were meant to fit “most people”. I am not “most people” and if you’re reading this, you probably aren’t either.
I tote two separate journals around in my giant purse-o’-stuff anytime that I go somewhere, full of thoughts and ideas that have not been read by others and 2019 is the year I change that. I have a lot of thoughts and ideas I want to share with people, and while I may not be the strongest of writers, this is my start. I write this article/post/whatever it may be not only for myself but for the 60 million readers that frequent this site who think about writing too but never do. So if you were looking for that new year motivation to start writing and you stumbled on my article here? Take that as a sign and run with it.
As I finish writing this, I would like to wish any readers of this a wonderful and blessed 2019. This year is blooming with potential so long as we’re ready to finally use it properly, I know I will.
Until next time, Medium readers!
