It’s April and so the beginning of the A to Z Blogging Challenge. I haven’t signed up yet, and once again, I’m ambivalent about doing so. Today is the first day of my second year of retirement, and I remain reluctant to take on obligations and scheduled events. And, I would like to do more writing.
So I spin around, yes, no, maybe so.
For me, the challenge is to frame the challenge as an invitation rather than an obligation. I’m very tired of obligation and duty and have plenty of that in my life already. I’ll extend the invitation to myself to show up and write, encouraging my inner critic to sit back and relax. Nothing to worry about here, folks, just keep moving.
That some writers are very organized, planning their themes and posts well in advance, getting drafts done is impressive to me on one level. I work at things, do projects, fulfill obligations, and I’ve found over the years that I do much better if I allow myself to put things together in a way that makes sense to me, fits with my rhythm. I do laugh at myself when I catch myself starting to get caught in the sticky web of others or mythical societal/academic expectations. I can still hear certain teachers voices on making outlines, following a plan. Very useful in house building and rocket launches, and I do lists and planning well for certain activities. But for writing? The fastest way to shut down interest and creativity for me is to give myself to someone else’s agenda. I’ll keep reminding myself, and we’ll see if I’m still writing come April Zth.
Written for today’s Ragtag Daily Prompt of Spin and
the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge
Curious Steph 
Here’s to no obligations! Just have fun…
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Thanks, you too!
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Steph, could you give a link for the A to Z Challenge? Is it a photo or writing challenge? Thanks.
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here you go–its primarily a writing challenge, I believe. http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/2023/04/
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Thanks… that was the other question I wanted to ask. Actually it sounds like quite a complicated process getting registered and I may not be up to it…
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It’s actually pretty easy, just answering a few questions and pasting in a link to your blog
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Have you committed to it? If it were a photo blog I would, but I’m already doing two poems a day plus two more a week for the month of April… I think that is probably enough. Gotta spend some time off the computer each day! Although, perhaps I could combine NaPoWriMo and A to Z. Having to have a single theme is a problem, however…I might just enjoy reading yours!
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I did sign up, and have whatever arises as my theme. Sounds like you have a lot on your plate already
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Well.. it asked me to type in the password for my email account which I was not willing to do. There has been some crazy stuff going on … even my tech guy says someone has been changing all the settings on my email and it is such a mess… No way am I going to give the password out and don’t know why they need it…Plus they want me to join social sites I don’t want to join in order to participate… so I will just enjoy your entries and you are right–i have enough going on. It’s a personal failing that I have a terrible time following directions and strange as it may sound to you, theirs were just too complicated.
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interesting, sounds quite different from my experience. I don’t share passwords either, and have an extremely limited social media presence. Just didn’t fill in those parts
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It said in mine that I couldn’t join unless I did. It seemed fishy..And it’s all right. I’m spending 11 hours online per day as is… I really don’t need another prompt!!!
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You do you.
Ronel visiting for A:
My Languishing TBR: A
Accomplished Athena
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Do what brings pleasure.
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Excellent advice!
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It takes a while. Retirement (as I learned) is a bigger change in more ways that I ever imagined, not that I imagined it at all. In my case it was thrust upon me. BUT I still resist obligations. They drove my life for so long…
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PS if it’s fun for you, do it.
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I with you Steph. I’ve never been very good at advance planning in my day to day life, perhaps that’s because I have to do it in my work. The last few years, I’ve realized I can’t do it all. So, I now post when it feels right for me, in that way I still find blogging a pleasure.
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Retirement zooms by. Do what you feel moved to do. Sometimes ambivalence is a super power.
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I could have written this post! I have waffled about joining the A to Z this year (like I waffle EVERY year) and didn’t sign up until Thursday. And I will follow my usual m.o. of flying by the seat of my pants, because, I, too, shut down when required to write something that isn’t my own idea!
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Welcome to the seat of your pants club. Happy improv!
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I like the idea of dismissing the inner critic for a bit. Now I just need to figure out *how*… 😅
Here’s to an enjoyable April!
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This is also why I don’t sign up for this stuff anymore. I have been retired for a long time — 15 years and Garry for 20. We both spent too many years with deadlines and endless obligations. Garry is especially resistent to being on any schedule. I’m a little more flexible, but I do not want to be locked into anything that takes weeks. When I first started blogging I did a lot of these long challenges, but the longer I do this, the less interested I am. Do what YOU want. You deserve the freedom to do as you please. We ALL do.
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Every year I think I will have all my blogs pre-written and ready to go on April 1. Hasn’t happened yet. But I find that once I get going, the pull of writing keeps me going. And the dopamine hits, of course, that come from interacting with my readers and other writers.
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Writing them all in advance–very ambitious. I guess write them in March, post in April would be an approach. I seem to be much more of a pantser that way.
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