October 6, 2011

Why Start a Blog?

I'm not doing this to make money. At least it's not my intention just yet. The purpose of this little experiment is to address my inexplicable fear of writing or what I've come to lovingly refer to as my "20-year writer's block".

During the early years of my life, roughly between the ages of 5 and 12, all I ever really wanted in life was to become a writer. That is of course, apart from the typical childhood wish list, which unavoidably included more playtime and ice cream. I was an omnivorous reader and wrote many short stories, poems and political speeches during these years. Creatively-speaking, I can safely say it was or has been the most productive period in my life so far.

So what happened you ask? Life is what happened! First came the teenage years characterized by its daily dosage of drama and a whole lot of "my first this" and "my first that". I was way too busy experiencing life to bother writing about it. Didn't even have time to keep a journal although even the most insignificant of my experiences are safely ingrained in my memory. Then came the college years. Ohh the college years :) Wish I can say I remember half as much as during my high school years but I spent half the time passed out on my bathroom floor and the rest in vegetable mode recovering from the previous night's binge drinking and partying. Probably an exaggeration but seriously.. With more than enough reading and writing assignments from professors, who had time to read and write for personal reasons in those days? Then came the boys, the jobs, the bills and the fears. What would I write about? Was I even any good at it? In short, I became a chronic well-seasoned procrastinator.

So if I stopped writing at the age of 12 and it's been 20 years since then, you can easily do the math. Not much has changed since then. I still have no clue what to write about or if I'm any good at it. But when you consider that your next-door neighbor, ex boyfriend and his mother, plumber, nephew and even 79-year-old granny all have blogs, one can't help but think maybe it's not that difficult. I'm just going to write, for the sake of getting some thoughts down in "paper", about whatever comes to mind on any given day, whether it's a new book I read or a place I visited recently. I'm not expecting to have any followers but if you do happen to stumble upon one of my entries and feel like leaving a comment, I'm sure it will be much appreciated. Even a hate message.

Without further ado, I would like to warmly welcome myself into the wonderful world of Blogging, where dreams may or may not come true!

6 comments:

  1. Dear Zaura:
    Become a full time writer if you had:
    Written at least a poem that shed a tear from a complete stranger, a short story that you just couldn't abandon thru the years until written the last paragraph, or just a few lines that meant the world to somebody else.
    We need more writers and artists, and less politicians, war uniforms or rapacious merchants.
    We have to turn around the society we live in and this blog is the right place to start.
    Luis.

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  2. Wise wise words from my first follower :) I'm excitingly looking forward to contributing with my little grain of sand. This is just the beginning..

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  3. This is written quite well actually... I'm actually refreshed with this read. I think I'm a fan!

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  4. I'm very flattered Jubei. I'm a huge fan of your work as well..!

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  5. I love your way of writing, it is like a mix of sense of logic and humor at the same time. I also aim for becoming a writer and this has inspired me to achieve my goal!
    -Dominique Muñiz Gómez

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  6. My dear Dominique:
    They say, "Do what you love, it's your gift to the universe". If you are passionate about writing, then that's exactly what you should do! Don't put it aside like I did, only to come back around full circle years later. I'm looking forward to hearing more from you and reading some of your work. The most difficult part is to start. Thank you for your kind words. They inspire me to keep writing :)

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