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Blogtober is HERE!

/ SaxophoneWife / 84 Comments

Hello, Fellow Bloggers!

I want to invite you all to join me for Blogtober 2021. What is Blogtober? It’s a blogging challenge. For me that has simply meant striving to blog every day. That is a big challenge for me, because it means…

  • …making time to write.
  • …choosing to write over doing something else.
  • …and, forcing myself not to focus on perfection, but on completion.

I think that last point is something any writer can appreciate. We know it’s never going to be perfect, but we always hope it can be better, right? Well, thanks to my imaginary world where perfect sentences flow into perfect paragraphs, I’m a better editor than a writer, and that bums me out.

Hence, Blogtober—a chance to give that editor a break and just enjoy communicating through the written word the way I did when editing meant turning an e into an a, like when I was a kid sending letters to my friends with S.W.A.K* scrawled across the back of the envelope. The only thing that mattered was getting that reply in the mail as fast as possible.

A FEW INSTRUCTIONS
Now, some folks who host Blogtobers come up with writing prompts for each day. I wouldn’t want anyone who joins this to feel obliged to write to a prompt, but sometimes a little inspiration is needed. So, I will post my version of writing prompts at the end.

Remember, if you’re just starting out, a blog post is what you decide a blog post is, whether it’s five words or 5,000. Read this post from a few weeks ago, if you need some encouragement: CLICK HERE Also, there is so much out there on how to blog, how to start a blog, writing advice, blog tips, Blogtober, etc. Do a little research. Keep it free, though. It doesn’t have to cost you anything to blog.

If you are going to join me in this effort, please comment below with your blog site. I will share your blogs throughout the month to make sure everyone has a chance to check out your work. Please, feel free to share the graphic above and invite other bloggers to join the challenge.

I guess that’s all there is to say. I really hope you’ll join me, even if you join late and even if you know you won’t be able to post daily. And, I really hope someone reading this will be inspired to launch their first blog, or revive their old blog this month. That would make me very excited!

Looking forward to reading lots of blogs this month!
❤

*S.W.A.K. is supposed to mean Sealed With A Kiss, but my friend Irma was very clever. She said it meant Sealed With A Knee. She also came up with the classic S.W.A.B.—Sealed With A Band-Aid, applying an actual Band-Aid to the envelope. I was so impressed. Irma, Misty, and I wrote each other all that summer. We looked forward to starting Jr. High together, but Misty and I ended up moving. She and I lost touch, but Irma and I wrote each other for a couple of years. They were the best!

Why Not Write a Blog?

/ SaxophoneWife / 5 Comments

I started blogging on Xanga in Septber 2006. It was a radical thing for me to do, but it was a season in my life when I desperately needed some kind of connection to other people. It was a Godsend in many ways.

Then, Fakebook invaded the blogosphere. It lured bloggers away, and silenced many voices. Writers abandoned blog posts (personal, meaningful, entertaining, substantial, reliable) for status updates (quips, activity reports, rants). Eventually, even those status updates diminished, because instead of an intimate audience that was seeking out your writing, we had an audience of virtual strangers that stalked and judged and offered nothing in exchange.

Sad days, indeed.

However, some of us kept blogging. And, some have been finding their way back! When a friend tagged me on Facebook with her latest blog post, I decided it was high time to pull this post out of my drafts folder and finally finish it.

Blogging isn’t for everyone, yet anyone can blog. It’s not about being a good writer—or even a writer at all. It’s just about sharing yourself, something you love or learned or lived through.

WHY BLOG?

Here are just a few reasons.

  • Self-expression is a good thing.
  • Community.
  • Someone wants (or needs) to read what you have to write.
  • It’s a good hobby.
  • If you don’t enjoy writing, it’s good practice.
  • Loved ones far away who will enjoy reading about your life—even the mundane things.
  • It’s a great way to watch yourself grow though the seasons of life.
  • No special skills required—not even good grammar, spelling, or punctuation.
  • It’s free.
  • There are basically no rules.
  • You have something to share.
  • You know something we don’t.
  • You’ve done things we’ll never get to do.
  • You live somewhere most people have never seen.
  • You want to “meet” like-minded people.
  • You like to talk.
  • You have an expertise you’d like to share.
  • You’re an older man or woman with wisdom younger folks need.
  • You’re going through a crisis, and need a safe place to vent.
  • You’re planning a big life change, and want to share your process.
  • You need to be seen, heard, believed.
  • You’re a social butterfly with limited places to spread your wings!
  • You can be anonymous.
  • Most social media just wants you to scroll and share content.
  • Independant thinkers can find a place of their own.
  • It’s a “room of your own.”
  • You might be really good, and end up with a book deal!
  • You can blog photos, if words aren’t your thing.
  • I want to read your blog!

I hope this post will encourage someone to start (or restart) a blog. There are many platform options. In fact, if you do blog, will you post your blog link in a comment, and share a word about the platform you use (a pro or con)? Share some reasons why you blog. Let’s help the curious find their place in the blogosphere!

Happy Blogging!
❤

P.S. When you launch your blog, be sure to send me the link! I will share some of my favorite blogs in an upcoming post, to help you find some inspiration.

Waiting Room

/ SaxophoneWife / 2 Comments

I think God builds waiting into His plan for our life. I think it might even be one of the holiest experiences we can have on earth.

  • I think of Moses waiting at the shore of the Red Sea for God to make a way.
  • I think of Ruth waiting to glean discards in the field.
  • I think of David waiting for his son to be healed.
  • I think of Esther waiting for the to appointed hour to enter the king’s chamber.
  • I think of Joshua waiting for the walls to fall.
  • I think of Hannah pleading with God, as she waited for a miracle.
  • I think of Elijah waiting for fire from Heaven.
  • I think of Sarah plotting her own way, instead of waiting for God’s promise.
  • I think of Daniel waiting for the lions to fall asleep.
  • I think of Mary suffering scorn, as she awaited her Savior’s birth.

At those times when we are given room to wait,  let’s be sure to not squander them. Let’s not regret that we have a waiting room to occupy, but let’s use it. Don’t plead with the Lord to end it, but recognize what a rare gift it is to be invited to wait on Him.

To wait with Him.

It is an exclusive opportunity that in one instant will end. The waiting will be over.

Until then, let’s attune our ear to His voice. Learn to listen. Learn His ways. Practice trusting Him.

Trust Him more.

Instead of filling our waiting room with busy work or mindlessness—entertainment, diversions, speculation—let’s spend it wisely. Rest on His promises. Trust in His presence. Pray. Worship. Seek.  Practice patience; remain faithful. Learn His comms.

Waiting on the Lord is never, ever in vain. 

❤ 

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