why I write

Back in August 2013, when I wrote my first blog post I didn't know what I wanted to achieve with this blog, or if indeed I was going to write second post. As a matter of fact, I did and this post shows as the 100th post in my archive. Two of those 100 are drafts and may never be published. I work like that. It seems like the right time to reflect on this small space of mine. And when, by sheer coincidence, Carla from My Yellow Heart asked me to take part in a blog hop, exploring the why’s of why we write, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to put my thoughts on paper. Well, not paper but you know what I mean.

I feel rather flattered about being asked to participate in this blog hop, so, thank you Carla. You can read all about Carla's own reasons to write here. I "met" Carla when I read about her blog over at Elaina's A Little Bit Country. It seems like a long time ago now! Elaina had mentioned both Carla's and my own blog as newbie blogs she enjoys reading.

And without further ado, here are the answers to the blog hop questions.

What Am I Working On?
I am not working on anything in particular. I am writing for my own enjoyment and for the enjoyment of my readers. I like it that way.

How Does My Writing Differ From Others In My Genre?
This is a difficult question. I don't really like to think of my blog belonging to a genre but I suppose it is a family centred blog of sorts. Sometimes I write about parenting, or crafting, sometimes I share photos, sometimes I self-indulgently write about myself. I am exploring my life by writing about it. I am many things, a mother, a wife, a (somewhat failed) scientist for example. The many pages in the book of my life make me unique and I hope that this in turn makes my writing stand out. It may not, I don't mind. I don't try to be different. I am writing an honest account of my life with happy moments, grumpy moments and all the ones in between.

Why Do I Write What I Do?
I am exploring my life by writing about it. I write about my daily experiences and I write to help me make sense of those experiences. Because sometimes, life is a bit confusing. I often have conflicting ideas in my head. Writing ideas and thoughts down help me to see through the tangle of thoughts. I also write to remember.
My childhood memories are few and sometimes those of other people, often fleeting moments of memory evoked by a familiar smell or a photograph. I want to capture my current life to create my own tangible memories of those often insignificant but oh so significant moments in our lives.
I feel privileged to read about other women's lives. Women I might never meet but feel a strong bond with through shared experiences and shared interests. The world online is a big one compared to the one I inhabit with my body. I have learnt a lot about myself, about parenting and life in general through reading other women's accounts of their own experiences and with my writing, I want to give something back.

How Does My Writing Process Work?The short answer is it just happens. I don't plan my posts and I usually have a few on the go. I also write posts that I delete or never publish because sometimes, once I have written things down I feel no longer a need to share them with anybody. These not-meant-to-be-posts have a therapeutic function above anything else. I am not a quick writer, I like to digest my writing before I publish. I spend far too much time reading and re-writing my posts because I am self conscious about my English language skills, in particular my vocabulary, which is small compared to my German one and the wordless vocabulary in my head. Do you have a wordless vocabulary in your head? My brain seems to prefer images over words. Sometimes I try new words and phrases that I understand but not normally use. It is a bit uncomfortable. 


Part of this blog hop is to nominate three more people to pass on to. It was a difficult choice but here they are:

Mel from Coal Valley View. I love Mel's blog, I love her big family and how she and her husband raise their children. Mel is wise and fun. I think we could be good earthly friends. I also love Tasmania, I visited a long long time ago and can imagine living there.

CJ from Above the River. CJ is an inspiring gardener and a fun mother. I like it that her boys are allowed to climb trees without safety harness and I am pretty sure CJ is good at climbing trees, too. I love to read about superman and muntjak deer and marker pen incidents.

N from Creative Academia. I really enjoy visiting Creative Academia and I particularly love her eclectic collection of daily thoughts and memories summarised in the 101 days series. I also get a small glimpse of the professional life I miss quite a lot. 

I look forward to reading all about their reasons to write. And yours, too. Go on, tell me!