May 2, 2008
It’s My Blogiversary! and ‘Fess Up Friday
Posted by yogamum under Ashtanga, Family, Kids, Personal, Writing, YogaTwo years ago today, I started this blog! I had recently returned from a workshop in New York with Pattabhi Jois, and I was all fired up and gung ho about yoga. I felt good about my practice and I was an avid reader of yoga blogs, and I thought, “Hey, why not join in the conversation!” I never intended to write only about yoga, so almost immediately I started writing about food, recipes, my kids and all of the other random stuff in my life.
I never suspected that this blog would become anything more than a creative outlet for me, hidden away in an obscure corner of the internet, but instead the blogging community has become a source of support, an inspiration and a sheer joy. I couldn’t quit if I wanted to! Thank YOU, all of my readers, yogis and non-yogis, writers and moms and friends, for making this such a great experience for me!
And now, for what will become a regular feature here, I present you with “Fess Up Friday.” The fabulous Literate Kitten has come up with a way for writers to have some accountability and check in every week to report how their writing week has gone. I fear that my entries will go something like this: “Did not write novel.” “Again, failed to write novel.” And “Novel still unwritten.” But I am going to give it a shot, because one thing that I do know is that public humiliation can be very motivating. So here is this week’s writing report:
- Thought about writing novel.
- Put “Work on novel” on my “To Do” list.
- Realized that the things that don’t get done on my “To Do” list are mainly writing tasks.
- Realized that “Do laundry” gets checked off before “Work on novel.” Felt resentful of laundry. Proposed to children that they are old enough to be allowed the privilege of using the washing machine. Nine-year-old is thrilled. Twelve-year-old is unconvinced.
- Was asked if my Anne Cushman article could be republished in “LIving Mysore” online magazine. An actual writing accomplishment for the week! Yay! (Go check it out, there’s some good stuff over there)
- Worked on writing exercises
- Wrote a blog post every day
All in all, I don’t think it was too bad of a week, though of course the most important thing did not get done. If you’re not familiar with my novel saga, I am working on the third chapter of a novel (my second) that I began last fall, but let drop when my dad was diagnosed with lung cancer. This was to have been my “writing year” — but it didn’t work out that way. Yet. However, I am committed to working on a writing schedule that will fit in with my kids’ activities, yoga practice, and my job. It sounds impossible! But I am one of those people that believes that with organization and sleep deprivation, I can accomplish anything!
We’ll see how next week goes!
May 2, 2008 at 10:55 am
Happy blogiversary!! You’ve been such an important blogger for me, thank you!
Oh, I have the same kinds of twinges as you do about the writing thing. I thought about a novel, but don’t have a clear idea. I did a lot of prep work but no actual cooking this week…
We will just keep inching along.
May 2, 2008 at 1:11 pm
Happy blogiversary and here’s to two fabulous years! I hope one day we get to toast our blogs in person.
At the moment, sleep deprivation is my main way of getting writing done, so I’m with you on that.
And you do know that I’m waiting to read your novel with bated breath. I just know it’s going to be so, so good.
May 2, 2008 at 2:33 pm
Happy Blogiversary! You must have started your blog about a fortnight after I began mine! I didn’t realise you were writing a novel, but good luck with it. It’s really hard to find the time between work and family life, so I feel for you having your father’s illness on top of all that. Congratulations on the online publication, too.
May 2, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Happy blogiversary! May there be many more to come.
May 2, 2008 at 5:47 pm
Happy Blogiversary!!
Please enlighten me as to what writing exercises are.
May 2, 2008 at 6:37 pm
Happy Blogiversary!
May 3, 2008 at 5:24 am
Happy blogiversary Yogamum!
May 3, 2008 at 10:08 am
Thanks for writing and sharing the past two years, it has been a gift for us readers as well. Wonder how long it will be until Hallmark starts getting a “Blogversary” e-card campaign going…
May 3, 2008 at 10:25 am
Happy Blogiversary! I’ve never commented here before, but your posts have been really good n fun for me to read
I’m also going through my own grieving process (of…myself, I guess?) and sympathize with your father’s passing… was just too shy to post then.
And you can totally get that novel written! Good luck
May 3, 2008 at 11:11 am
Two years! That’s so fabulous. Congrats.
I love the ‘fess up Friday idea for many reasons, not least of which is that it’s inspiring to be in the company of so many writers who’re working on the same issues I struggle with. And you, Ms. Yogamum, are going to produce one terrific novel, and teach your children how to wash their own clothing while you’re at it.
xo
May 3, 2008 at 1:47 pm
Congratulations! Many more blogging years to you. http://www.mothers-everything.com
May 3, 2008 at 1:51 pm
Happy Blogiversary! As a sometimes writer, I feel that maintaining a blog is often an excellent source of writing fodder- a giant world wide web-sized spiral note book where you can flex your writing muscles as often as you can, even when you don’t have time to sit down and write the “next page”!
I’m thrilled to have found your blog, and the novel will come…in it’s own time.
May 3, 2008 at 3:11 pm
Happy anniversary! It’s a nice milestone, and more so especially with where you’ve reached since the start!
May 3, 2008 at 10:43 pm
Happy anniversary and I love the idea of “fess up Friday”. I met with Rob and crew today and we went through 3 critiques including the first 50 pages of draft 1 of The Foundling Wheel. I got a lot of useful feedback today and I am inspired to sort out my “what is this really about” dilemma. I realized I have to structure my time better and that probably means I’ll need to cut down on blogging until I’m back on track. I’ll probably need to schedule some solitary walks and other chunks of time to brainstorm the what ifs and the real premise of the story. This post helped me more than you’ll know. You have a wonderful start on a story unlike any I’ve ever seen and best of all, you are an incredibly talented writer. You owe it to yourself to set a deadline to get through Chapter 3. Good luck!
May 4, 2008 at 9:01 am
Thanks, everyone, for the well-wishes and encouragement!
Jan, writing exercises are basically just short responses to writing prompts. You can sort of stretch your writing muscles in a low-pressure way. If you google “writing exercises” you’ll find lots of examples!
I love how everyone is so convinced that my novel is going to get finished and be fabulous! Hugs and smooches to all of you!!!
May 4, 2008 at 9:19 pm
Happy Blogiversary (I’m only a few days late!). Yay for you!
And congrats on the interview being reprinted at Living Mysore. Awesome!
May 5, 2008 at 8:41 am
Does: “I daydreamed alot. But it’s all for my novel” counts?
Good luck with your novel. You’ll get there, no problem.
May 5, 2008 at 11:43 am
Happy Belated Blogiversary!!!!!
May 5, 2008 at 12:36 pm