I have been sitting here staring at a blank slate. From time to time, producing a new piece for this blog each Thursday can be a source of anxiety. Writing for you is a serious responsibility; one I take seriously.
Writing here scratches my itch, yet, at the same time, the Widow’s Voice blog imposes rules and standards to which we writers must adhere. Certain subjects, such as politics, are deemed taboo. I do not particularly like it; I might even personally disagree. Sadly, however, assuming the widow community reflects the fraught and fractured state of society at large, I can understand the policy rationale for this prohibition.
Indeed, over the years, on a few occasions, I have had a blog piece delayed because somebody in authority perceived it might be too controversial for this audience. Once, after some give-and-take, I was persuaded by their arguments to soften the tone of a particular piece about my deceased sister. On other occasions, however, I’ve stood my ground. It’s a part of a collaborative process taking place behind the scenes, so to speak.
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I enjoy writing, but it is also hard work. Hard work doesn’t bother me. For me, writing satisfies some deep needs I can’t articulate.
While I’ve authored short stories, I seriously doubt I have a novel, a serious poem, so much as a play inside me; otherwise, wouldn’t it have erupted from my imagination by now? In fact, my computer’s hard drive is littered with creative writing fragments, story outlines, and character sketches, which is where they will likely remain in perpetuity. A few ancient pieces probably still exist in hard-copy form. If I were to rummage around the basement, I might stumble upon such an artifact gathering dust in a box, and think, “Why is it still here?”
If measured by readership, my most successful writings are the academic ones, hardly surprising since I devoted a sizeable chunk of my legal career to researching and writing on various topics of interest to the legal community.
As for these Thursday musings, I have been a contributor to this site for nearly five years. Occasionally, I consider whether I have an expiration date.
Of course, having a weekly deadline also imposes discipline, a good thing. Come to think of it, perhaps the real cause for my occasional anxiety is not writing on a deadline but the notion that if I relinquish this creative outlet, I won’t easily be able to replace it.
