There's a fine line between a routine and a rut. Routines give us structure and comfort; ruts trap us into rote movements and responses. That's why a little change is a good thing.
And so it is time to change this blog. When I began writing "An island life, a writing life" almost two years ago, I approached the blog from my background in journalism. I saw it as a type of weekly column, without the newsprint and ink. I tried to connect what I had to say with either island living or writing, but I also allowed myself to comment on other things as well. It was fun, mostly, and making sure I had a fresh blog every Thursday was a good form of writing discipline.
But I have been moving into a different world from the one where I spent most of my writing career. My work with newspapers is long gone. This is an author website, not a re-creation of my past bully pulpits. The blog must follow these changes.
The "new" blog, "Observations," will share the bits and pieces that float through my mind and sometimes end up on my pages. I don't believe that writers actually create anything; we are not gods. We just take our various observations, cut them up and rearrange them into something new: writing as mosaic.
What you can expect to see here now will not be as shaped and polished as my previous blogs. They will be observations: sometimes a character sketch, sometimes a setting, sometimes a scene from a story in progress. And I'll share them as they come to me. For discipline, I will still do a Thursday post, but I won't limit the blog to that day, either.
Meanwhile, I'll try to change the Sampler page of this site once a month, offering some of my smaller "mosaics."
"Observations" is going to be the workshop of my mind as I continue to work on my writing. It's open for visits any time. Welcome!
And so it is time to change this blog. When I began writing "An island life, a writing life" almost two years ago, I approached the blog from my background in journalism. I saw it as a type of weekly column, without the newsprint and ink. I tried to connect what I had to say with either island living or writing, but I also allowed myself to comment on other things as well. It was fun, mostly, and making sure I had a fresh blog every Thursday was a good form of writing discipline.
But I have been moving into a different world from the one where I spent most of my writing career. My work with newspapers is long gone. This is an author website, not a re-creation of my past bully pulpits. The blog must follow these changes.
The "new" blog, "Observations," will share the bits and pieces that float through my mind and sometimes end up on my pages. I don't believe that writers actually create anything; we are not gods. We just take our various observations, cut them up and rearrange them into something new: writing as mosaic.
What you can expect to see here now will not be as shaped and polished as my previous blogs. They will be observations: sometimes a character sketch, sometimes a setting, sometimes a scene from a story in progress. And I'll share them as they come to me. For discipline, I will still do a Thursday post, but I won't limit the blog to that day, either.
Meanwhile, I'll try to change the Sampler page of this site once a month, offering some of my smaller "mosaics."
"Observations" is going to be the workshop of my mind as I continue to work on my writing. It's open for visits any time. Welcome!