One Year

It was one year ago today that I decided to dust off my Blogspot account, which I hadn't used in months.  I had been thinking through how I would introduce myself to my students on the first day of class, and decided that it was a given that I'd say I loved to write.  Then I thought, "how often do I actually write?"  Writing a few Facebook notes or blog-posts each year hardly deserved a mention.

The truth was, I really did love writing, but I had not been particularly disciplined in making it a habit, and so my love for writing was by no means evident.  I resolved that if I would be trying to impart a love for writing to my students, I needed to actively model that love.

It hasn't been smooth, and I haven't been consistent: you'll notice that there are long stretches during which I posted infrequently (particularly the first few months of 2012 and then the summer months).  Yet, I do inevitably return to my writing before too much time passes--and I've made it to the one-year mark with a degree of regularity.  I hope to maintain this regularity over the course of the coming year--I may dial back the frequency for fear that I'll start repeating myself.  One goal that I have for myself in this coming year is to push myself to do more creative writing: following in the vein of the poetry I wrote this past year, as well as the short story about my childhood adventures on the farm.

I realize that many perceive blogging as technological narcissism, and either avoid it or engage in it but ironically on those grounds... and perhaps that's true... but I choose to see my sharing of what I write as a means of building the rare relationship between a writer and audience; to create an atmosphere of accountability in that I'll take my resolutions and my professed values as seriously as I claim to; and yes, a little of the narcissistic hope that what I say is important and may be worth my reader's time.

Above all, though, I hope this blog makes obvious and contagious my love for the written word, and my desire to develop and exercise this gift for the glory of the One who blessed me with it.  I hope that this, more than anything, continues to be my motivation and my drive for writing.