My blog turns 2! (Part 2 of Commemorative)

Last week, I wrote the first of a two-part series on how my blog made it to its 2nd anniversary!

The piece was generally positive, even exuberant in its tone if I do say so myself. After all, what’s not to be exuberant about when it comes to celebrating anniversaries and milestones, right?

Well, the second part of this commemorative is going to be a lot less exuberant; it may even be more sombre-sounding. That’s because I’ll be talking about the remaining two of my four cornerstone content – Writing and Life. Topics that I discuss in my Wednesday blog posts.

The truth is, I rarely feel well-equipped to discuss these two seemingly-straightforward topics. I say “straightforward” because they are two words that are immediately recognisable; they generally need very little by way of explanation.

For me however, both are fraught with “danger” and “dilemma”, needing LOTS of explanations that I often feel I lack the know-how to offer! Yet they continue to draw out the writer and “truth-teller” in me. Which is why they are the other two of my blog’s four pillars of must-write content.

Let me explain.

But first, a warning. It’s gonna sound raw and unfinished.

Because this writing journey of mine IS ultimately raw and unfinished!

Still with me?

Okay, let’s go.

Writing Blog

My love for writing made this topic of Writing itself a no-brainer choice for one of my cornerstone content (read more about what a cornerstone content is here).

My dream? To simply write daily, continuously, and totally enjoy the creative process along the way. And going by the number of posts I’ve put up on Writing (46 so far), I think I haven’t done all that badly.

But the truth is I more often fail at writing consistently than I would like to admit. 

Yep, it’s true. And it’s bad.

Sometimes days will go by when I would just as soon pick up the TV remote than pick up a pen, even if it’s to jot down a short line or two. It’s probably odd for an “anniversary” piece like this one to say so.

Still there’s no escaping this stark reality: Writing is hard work!

Even though most days I feel like I have a lot to say, old habits still die hard. For many years leading up to the creation of my blog in 2019, my writing, doodling and journaling have been pretty much ad hoc and inconsistent. Pull them altogether and I may have “some” pretty good content both in quality and quantity. (Maybe I should fish out some of them in due course for a bit of an “exhibition” for future blog posts!)

But if I’m honest, just “some”. More often than not, they read more like raw, unpolished diary entries of a young adult than anything worth mentioning.

Which is why I knew when I embarked on this two-year writing journey, I had to sit at the feet of literary giants who have paved the way. To learn from them and to grow. And if you have been following, you would know that many of my 46 blog posts on writing have dived into both its mechanics and processes, as I create blogs and write (gulp) memoir pieces! All thanks to the writing coaches I’ve encountered along the way.

But techniques aside, writing is ultimately creative and (hopefully) inspirational, in and of itself.

So I’m going to keep trying to put up posts that celebrate writing, even though my own journey with it is often patchy and uneven.

But so is life, isn’t it?

And speaking of life…

Life Blog

Ahhh LIFE!

There’s no end to what we can talk about when we talk about life, agree?

For me though, I don’t so much want to talk about life, as I want to talk Life.

I want to be able to breathe into my posts on this topic something that’s going to help someone; build up someone, or make someone question preconceived notions and assumptions.

And sometimes, that someone’s me!

For as I look back on the nearly 90 posts I’ve classified into this category so far, I realise I’ve instinctively gravitated towards posts that serve to call out something I see amiss in our society; something that needs reviewing and recalibrating.

I’ve talked about matters like friendship (or should I say the lack of), and the right to disconnect from being constantly online. I’ve advocated for better ways to “treat” bullies, and what’s true work-life balance. In other posts, I’ve poured out my woes on my failed career and Covid’s negative and positive effects on me and society, as well as reflect on serious social issues like mental health and even our purpose in life.

These are the stuff that gets to me, and that gets me to write. And God willing, I hope to continue to write them, and maybe have at least one or two of my posts resonate with you my reader.

So even as I wrap up my 2nd anniversary commemoration here, I hope I can look back on it (and my earlier post) to inspire me for future posts, should the days ahead grow long and weary, and I forget why I write.

Meantime, here’s me once again wishing me, myself and I:

Happy 2nd Blog Anniversary!!