Know Thyself Challenge

It’s that time of year again. The point of the year where I am again trying to figure out where to which level I would like to take my writing and my writing style. I’m not a conventional writer. I don’t really follow any rules or any sort of standards of writing. I just do. But I want become a successful writer. I want to make a difference in someone else’s life through my writing. I would like to have a positive impact and/or influence over the younger and older generation in the same way writers such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Jorge Amado, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Sandra Cisneros, Eric Jerome Dickey and Maya Angelou have had on me, my life and my writing.

As usual, I’m forcing myself to complete a writing challenge so that I can “jump start” my motivation to write more. It’s a horrid cop out buuuuuuuut it’s all I know how to do. Not so much cop out of things, but to try to complete challenges. And just because I’m feeling adventurous, I might just try to complete two maybe three challenges at the same time. Lawd what in the fuck am I about to do to myself.

The first challenge is called the Know Thyself Challenge. I found this challenge about two years ago when yet again I was going through a creative slump and tried to reinvent the wheel instead of just spinning the sucker round and round. From what I can tell, this challenge is trying to get the writer/blogger to analyze and examine why he or she writes. What motivates the writer? What do you hope to accomplish as a writer? Yadda yadda yadda…

It’s a 25-day challenge. So that’s a post a day and if I start today then I should be done by August 23^rd. fuck that’ll be sooner rather than later! I could just wait until Saturday which is August 1^st buuuuuut I need to go shopping. #priorities

So there you guys have it. The daily prompts are below. I hope you guys embark on this journey with me. Please feel free to leave words of kindness and encouragement.

 

Thanks for reading…

 

the southern yankee

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Day 1: What do you consider your greatest strength as a writer?

Day 2: What is your biggest writing weakness, and what do you think you need to change to work on it?

Day 3: What’s the BEST writing advice you ever received?

Day 4: What tends to serve as the most reliable source(s) of inspiration for you?

Day 5: What do you hope a reader will take away from your writing?

Day 6: What do you find to be the most rewarding aspect of being a writer?

Day 7: Do you find that inspiration to write happens organically, or do you sometimes feel that you need to seek it out?

Day 8: How old were you when you started writing? What did you write?

Day 9: Do you feel that you have found your voice in your writing? Or are you still searching?

Day 10: What are your favorite and least favorite parts of the writing process?

Day 11: How much of your writing time is purely research?

Day 12: What is the last book, story, or poem you read that had an effect on your writing? Are you a better writer for having read this work?

Day 13: What motivates you to keep writing?

Day 14: Share with us your strategies for overcoming writer’s block.

Day 15: Which writer or teacher most influenced your work?

Day 16: As a writer, what are your biggest fears? How can you overcome them?

Day 17: Which genre of writing is your forte? Why?

Day 18: Which genre of writing have you not explored but want to? Why?

Day 19: Describe your revision process.

Day 20: Who has been your biggest writing supporter?

Day 21: How do YOU hope to help your fellow writers–now or in the future?

Day 22: Why should someone read your work?

Day 23: If you held all the cards, where would you want your writing to take you? Would you want to be the NEW YORK TIMES next big hit or a voice for the underground?

Day 24: Who are you writing for? Do you have a target audience in mind?

Day 25: What makes you want to write more?

Writer-vation: Milestone Monday

I can hardly believe it’s been five years since I started this blog. Geez time has flown by so quickly.

In five years, I’ve written almost 250 post; which I hope to double that number sooner rather than later; and have gained over a hundred followers; which, I have to say, shocks me every time I look at my blog stats.

I never really imagined even having that many followers much alone posting so many post because well I’m lazy as fuck. As you all know, I’m really sporadic when it comes to posting. I really don’t adhere to one particular topic nor do I follow any sort of writing/blogging/grammar rules. I write cuz I am in the mood or cuz I happen to be motivated by something.  I suppose one could say I’m museless. is that even a word “museless” ni modo Ima roll wit it.

I could and prolly should write more to perhaps invigorate my creative writer’s mind but it takes effort. I dunno I’m at a point again in my writer lifetime where I’m blocked mentally and emotionally. I find myself having more than enough to say just not enough time or motivation to write. But what else is new?

So with that said, I would like to say thank you thank you to those who have signed up to witness the most random weird madness that is my writing, life and blog. Please feel free to drop a line or two in the comment section. I hope you guys stay aboard the crazy train.

 

Thanks for reading…

 

the southern yankee

Writer-Vation: Feeling Accomplished

This week has a week of accomplishments for my little corner of the blogosphere. I completed the BlogHer NaBloPoMo November challenge on Sunday. I hit 1500 views the other day. And today, I hit 100 followers.

I. Feel. Accomplished.

When I started writing this blog, I never really expected to accomplish such milestones because I write in order to maintain my sanity. Lawd knows I think and over analyze entirely too much about the little and frivolous aspects of my life. I spend almost every waking moment worrying my life away as my friend constantly tells me. It isn’t my intention. It’s just how I have always been. And blogging about my alcohol and coffee induced life sorta helps me calm the fuck down.

I’m always surprised when I have more than five or six views because like I said I didn’t really expect to have so many readers. I’m not trying to sound arrogant or unappreciative. I’m actually very humbled by the number of followers and views of my blog. I share my achievements with any and every person who will listen.

HA! Perhaps this means my writing isn’t as bad as I seem to perceive it. But then again we writers are their own worse critics.

I just… Well I mean… Thank you! Thank you for your support, for following me, for making my day when you hit the like button because it really helps to build my confidence as a writer. I’ll be honest when am i not with you guys… I’ve never really been very confident in my writing. I always knew I possessed a talent for writing but I wasn’t sure if I had enough talent to accomplish my dream of becoming a famous writer. And while I’m not as popular as some other bloggers, that’s okay because writing is a process that takes time and patience.

Besides, I still have much to learn about blogging, maintaining a website and honing in on my craft. Again, I appreciate you stopping by my corner of the blogosphere and following along with the craziness that is my world.

As always, thanks for reading…

 

 

The Southern Yankee

Challenge Complete… Now What?!

Hooray! I finally finished the 30 Days of Truth challenge. It took me longer than thirty days but I finished it none the less. And I have to say I’m pretty proud of myself for sticking with this because I’m the absolute worst procrastinator. Seriously, look how long it took me to actually finish this challenge. Of course lets keep in my I’ve had quite a few things happen in the last 30+ days such as celebrating two first birthdays and I became an aunt again this past Friday. Not to mention I’ve been sick for the last few days.

But excuses aside, this challenge opened my eyes to various aspects of myself. It also forced me to examine my life from a different perspective; meaning not so much as a participant but from a writer’s point of view. I have tried numerous times to write about my life in such a way where it was ‘Rated E for Everyone’. But I think my previous attempts were too forced. I don’t think I was quite ready to be truly and bluntly honest with myself either. In fact, I think this is the first time I have ever extensively talked about my daughter or my mother’s family ‘to anyone’ other than my sisters and close friends. I’m pretty sure if my mother’s family ever read my blog they’d be upset but for the first time in my life I’m okay with that because I could never have an ‘opinion’ around them. It doesn’t mean I do not respect or care any less about them; I just have had enough of playing, being and assuming the role of the victim. I’m too old to be harboring feelings of the past. I’m too blessed, accomplished and anointed to be rehashing past events that will only have them hurt me again and again emotionally.

I suppose what I got most from this challenge was that I can indeed WRITE. I received some really encouraging comments and picked up some new followers to my blog. I’m actually excited to look at my blog instead of saying I will start one day soon. I feel myself actually becoming a serious writer. I feel myself loving my craft instead of writing when I was ‘in the mood’. So with that said, thank you for taking this journey with me. I hope you continue reading and commenting on my posts.

Until next time, thanks for reading…

The Southern Yankee