A journalism professor I had in college said writers write to get it out of their head. I have never forgotten that and I firmly believe it.
My brain is a constant mess of words and phrases, ideas and thoughts all bouncing around trying to find a way out. Sometimes they escape and make sense, often they do not. Sometimes the timing is off, the words are still marinating and not yet ready to be revealed. Sometimes it feels like I reveal too much.
I want to blog.
I need to write.
I need to post something on my blog.
When am I going to write?
I have this treasured space, Letters For Lucas that I have created for my son (and sanity) and I get to connect with all of you and share some of my inner most thoughts and then I have my amazing freelance work with Smart Mom Style, which is very fulfilling and lets me explore an array of topics, a complete departure from Letters For Lucas.
The scene is set.
The house is quiet.
I have a full battery on my lap top.
The lighting is perfect.
I’m in my favorite space to write.
All I have to do is write and all of a sudden I need a snack.
I post here 3-4 times per week and on Smart Mom Style 5 days per week. That’s a lot of writing. Only, I don’t write every day. I can’t. I don’t have the time.
I dictate and jot down notes and ideas but real writing only happens once or twice a week, if I’m lucky. I spend a lot of time editing, fact checking and staring at a blinking cursor. Patiently waiting for ideas to come to me.
I have been writing Letters For Lucas for three years in August and I am very proud of my work here. Some posts more than others. I am NEVER at a loss for words. I have dozens of drafts and hundreds of ideas, just waiting to be flushed out.
This is my 800th post.
It took me a long time to consider myself a “writer” and not just a blogger. In fact, I still have trouble saying it out loud, but when other writers I have grown to respect and admire tell me so, I start to believe it. When other writers seek my opinion or ask me to review their drafts, I start to believe it.
It’s frustrating as all get out sometimes, but I enjoy writing and it has become a part of me that I could never give up. So, here’s to the next 800 posts!
Do you consider yourself a blogger or a writer? Are they one and the same?
“The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are unable to say.” – Anaïs Nin
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I’m definitely a blogger. I find it hard to call myself a writer. I love it, I can’t imagine not doing it (I’ve been writing in one form or another since I was a child), but I don’t think I am a writer.
But that’s okay, because I’m happy with my form of writing, my voice on my blog.
I think I’m both…I don’t know if I have the tenacity to be a real writer..but the swirling of words, ideas and quotes happens to me non stop. I literally go to bed thinking of how to start or end a post or story. So I think that when I call myself a writer it’s not a lie, I feel like a writer for sure but sometimes I just a blogger and that’s ok too.
Like you, I think I can be both in my space. 😉
xoxo
I often think “What is the difference between a writer and a blogger?”. And I cannot be sure I know. I do know I enjoy the time I spend here reading your words.
You’re a writer when you have written material that is entertaining and/or enlightening. You’re a writer.
I think I’m a little of both. Love your words.
800 posts, wow! Congrats! That’s a big accomplishment.
I consider myself a writer. I’ve been blogging for 3.5 years, but only a little over a year in the public domain, with more than just my family reading it. But when I decided I wanted to become a writer, I just started calling myself one. I am a writer. When I was posting on my blog just to post, I hated it.
I write for 3 blogs, including my own, but I have to write everyday. I don’t have time to set aside large chunks of writing time and get a lot of posts done, so I have to do what I can each night after the kids go to bed, saving Fridays and Saturdays for QT with the Hubs. It’s exhausting, really.
800 posts! whew! that is great! I keep eying my post count because in the next month or so I will hit the big 1000. EEK!
I think if you write, you’re a writer. period.
I tell my students they are all writers because really? How do you say to someone, “oh you write every day, but you’re not a writer.”
What?
No. If you write, you’re a writer.
And you, Tonya? Are a fantastic writer.
Writing is creating, using words to tell your story. Your blog is your platform, a way to share your writing.
If you wrote before your blog and you’ll continue writing after than you’re a writer! As always I enjoy reading your writing!!
I am a writer. I love your blog and the way you express yourself as a writer. Kudos to the 800th post~that is impressive 😉
I think for some, they are one in the same. For me, they definitely are. Blogging is the means to my writing. And if I don’t have anything to “write”, I don’t blog. Simple as that.
Congrats on the 800 post mark! That’s awesome!
I’ve had the same thought swirling in my head for quite some time now… I consider myself to be a writer 🙂
Those are good words from that professor!
I’m a blogger.
That is, when I blog!
Tonya – you’re more than a writer.
But, the “need to write to get it out of my head” is a huge part of me. I tend to go crazy if I go a long time without writing.
Congratulations on 800 posts . . . as we all await the next 8000
Congrats on the 800th post!! I don’t know… blogger…. writer… it’s more random word writer really who aspires to be a great blogger & writer someday!
800 posts? Go you!
I consider myself a blogger and not a writer. Mostly because what I say is just nonsense and making fun of my kids through pictures.
I’ve always been a writer. Learning the business of blogging has been a great challenge– frustrating and rewarding. In the end though, I want to tell stories with humanity and humor and truth, and I gravitate toward writers who also love the craft.
I try to make my blog about sharing stories; I also bring that approach to my freelance work. It is the only way I can motivate myself!
Thanks for the interesting post and for your story!
I loved this post! 2012 marks the year that that I did consider myself a writer for the first time. While I’m still at the beginner blogger, freelance writer stage, it feels good to know what I want. Happy 2013 to you!!