Writing

I like writing.  That may seem obvious, given my dogged determination to post consistently on this blog, even if I don't always manage to.  Really, writing is the one thing that I keep making time for that doesn't involve taking care of my family (though I do often write about my family).

As a child I liked writing stories. I still have those stories (complete with hand-drawn pictures), and the little notebook of story ideas that I was always adding to. As a teenager my focus changed to script writing, as I began directing homeschool theatre.  I adapted books into the scripts that I used for the productions I directed.

Once I started going to college I stopped writing for fun.  I had to write so much for my classes that it just wasn't in my top 10 list of things to do when I had free time.  Toward the end of my degree, though, I began this blog.  I wanted a way to express myself and share about my thoughts and experiences without getting annoying on Facebook.  I also thought it would be a good way of staying connected with friends and family who live far away.  Most of my writing on here involves my thoughts on random topics, musings and encouraging words, poetry, updates on my family, and sometimes a recipe or diy project.  But no fiction.

I've missed writing stories.  I keep trying to; in fact I currently have 3 stories that are partly written.  But I've found it hard to actually finish them, or even make significant headway.  My years of college and blogging have grown my confidence in my non-fiction writing, but because I haven't written much fiction I often doubt myself and my ability to write something worthwhile.  But now I have an opportunity that I'm really excited about!

It is a project called "Captives".  It's being run by someone I met through school. He has created a fictional world and has invited people to create a character to be a part of that world.  The participants will be writing about their character in a chapter by chapter, serial format, while the editor gives them promps and starts to weave all the smaller stories into one bigger story.

I'm very excited about this opportunity, because it gives me a reason to write fiction again, but in a very controlled way.  It's just one chapter at a time, so I can't be tempted to over think things and jump around like I often do when I try to write fiction.  It will also give me deadlines which will force me to keep writing, even if I think I'm too busy or feel stuck.

"Captives" is being hosted on Tumblr, which is where all of the chapters will be posted as they are written.  I wasn't on Tumblr before, but joined so that I could be a part of this project.  If you are interested in following along, here is a link: Captives

Also you are welcome to check out my new Tumblr page if you're on Tumblr.  It's not much at this point, because I'm still trying to figure it out.  My page is called Mama Bard.

As a side note, trying to figure out Tumblr has made me feel much more empathetic toward those who struggle to understand social media, especially those from older generations.  I've been using Facebook (and Twitter to a certain extent) for so long that it just feels natural.  But trying to understand Tumblr has been a bit of a challenge! I think I'm starting to get the hang of it, though.

Anyways, I'm super excited for "Captives", and I hope you'll follow along as the story starts to unfold.