Write Back Weekend "Well To Do"
I'll bet you thought I forgot all about responding to my very own TITMT question. I know I've been a bit absentee the past few months, but it would take the cake to forget about my own blog now wouldn't it? No, truth be told, I seriously didn't have any time to answer until now. In fact, I don't even have the time now either, but I'm soldiering on, since that's what good little bloggers do, or so I am told.
This week's question was the following...
What's one thing that you are proud of that you believe (or have been told) you do pretty well?
I was inspired to make this a TITMT question in an effort to focus on the positive. I don't know about all of you, but I find it extremely easy to beat myself up for the many things I don't do well. I can also easily discuss at length those very same things.
Yet somehow, when it comes time to accentuate the positive, a lot of us feel reluctant to come out of our shells. Even when given a compliment, I find I often crack a joke or look around uncomfortably, distracting for the compliment at hand. In hindsight I can see how I should really just learn to say thank you and move on but in the moment, it just isn't always that easy, at least for me.
So when it came time to write about one thing I did really well I stumbled there, too. That's because I couldn't decide what thing to highlight. But just saying that made me sound really vain, which is the opposite of what I was going for. Then I realized I was over thinking things. Did I mention I had a long list of things I didn't do very well? Over thinking issues is one of them. Then again, I also could be considered to be doing that very well, depending on your perspective.
Long story short, I decided to go with a rather obvious choice, given the nature in which all of you "know" me. What I have always been known for in my inner circle is my ability to write. I can't tell you how to diagram a sentence or how to not dangle a participle (whatever that means), but I have been told that I have a way with words many times over the years. It's the kind of thing I've been told on enough occasions by enough people that I figure there must be some truth to it.
Many times, on this blog in fact, I've written about my relationship with writing. I can't ever recall a time where I didn't like to write. When I was a shy student in elementary school, writing provided me with an outlet to show my personality. This extended all the way through middle, high school and even to some extent, college. I find that I often have a lot to say, but I'm sometimes at a loss for words face to face. Give me a pen and some paper (or a keyboard) though, and the words they flow freely.
My love affair with writing has evolved over the years into loving different aspects of writing. As a child, I used to fancy myself a budding songwriter though I couldn't read or write any sort of melody. As I grew older I realized that song lyrics really were just poems set to music. I had the lyrics part all set, it was the melody that eluded me. Let's just say when I saw the movie Music and Lyrics I related to it instantly.
More than loving to write, I love to make others happy through my writing. When I wrote a poem about grandmothers years ago, I was glad that my grandmother was honored enough to send it in to her local paper. When my mother needs help composing anything from a thank you note or a letter of complaint, I take comfort in the fact that it's me upon who she calls. When someone needs a letter proofread or a quirky poem written about their best friend, I am flattered that they look to me for advice.
All of the encouragement I've gotten from my writing over the years lead me to continue what I naturally was tending to do anyhow. Then, out of nowhere, blogging came along. With blogging, I have the perfect opportunity to write about all aspects of writing. I might still help my mom with that thank you note or write a poem for a best friend, but now I can blog about the experience itself. It's sort of like an out of blogging experience, or something like that.
Just a few weeks ago I spear headed two endeavors both heavily influenced by my interest in writing, a baby shower I threw for a friend and co-worker of mine that included a poem, and the third grade show I wrote about before where I took the lyrics of "Beat It" and made it "Read It".
Sometimes I feel like I am not letting my writing style shine to its full potential. I often wonder if I have what it takes to write a hit song, a good sitcom pilot or even a screenplay. But then I think about the little ways my writing has entertained others. I may never be the next Stephen King or John Hughes, but that doesn't mean I can't be proud of what I have accomplished.
But enough about what I do well. My laundry list of flaws is far more interesting if you ask me.
This week's question was the following...
What's one thing that you are proud of that you believe (or have been told) you do pretty well?
I was inspired to make this a TITMT question in an effort to focus on the positive. I don't know about all of you, but I find it extremely easy to beat myself up for the many things I don't do well. I can also easily discuss at length those very same things.
Yet somehow, when it comes time to accentuate the positive, a lot of us feel reluctant to come out of our shells. Even when given a compliment, I find I often crack a joke or look around uncomfortably, distracting for the compliment at hand. In hindsight I can see how I should really just learn to say thank you and move on but in the moment, it just isn't always that easy, at least for me.
So when it came time to write about one thing I did really well I stumbled there, too. That's because I couldn't decide what thing to highlight. But just saying that made me sound really vain, which is the opposite of what I was going for. Then I realized I was over thinking things. Did I mention I had a long list of things I didn't do very well? Over thinking issues is one of them. Then again, I also could be considered to be doing that very well, depending on your perspective.
Long story short, I decided to go with a rather obvious choice, given the nature in which all of you "know" me. What I have always been known for in my inner circle is my ability to write. I can't tell you how to diagram a sentence or how to not dangle a participle (whatever that means), but I have been told that I have a way with words many times over the years. It's the kind of thing I've been told on enough occasions by enough people that I figure there must be some truth to it.
Many times, on this blog in fact, I've written about my relationship with writing. I can't ever recall a time where I didn't like to write. When I was a shy student in elementary school, writing provided me with an outlet to show my personality. This extended all the way through middle, high school and even to some extent, college. I find that I often have a lot to say, but I'm sometimes at a loss for words face to face. Give me a pen and some paper (or a keyboard) though, and the words they flow freely.
My love affair with writing has evolved over the years into loving different aspects of writing. As a child, I used to fancy myself a budding songwriter though I couldn't read or write any sort of melody. As I grew older I realized that song lyrics really were just poems set to music. I had the lyrics part all set, it was the melody that eluded me. Let's just say when I saw the movie Music and Lyrics I related to it instantly.
More than loving to write, I love to make others happy through my writing. When I wrote a poem about grandmothers years ago, I was glad that my grandmother was honored enough to send it in to her local paper. When my mother needs help composing anything from a thank you note or a letter of complaint, I take comfort in the fact that it's me upon who she calls. When someone needs a letter proofread or a quirky poem written about their best friend, I am flattered that they look to me for advice.
All of the encouragement I've gotten from my writing over the years lead me to continue what I naturally was tending to do anyhow. Then, out of nowhere, blogging came along. With blogging, I have the perfect opportunity to write about all aspects of writing. I might still help my mom with that thank you note or write a poem for a best friend, but now I can blog about the experience itself. It's sort of like an out of blogging experience, or something like that.
Just a few weeks ago I spear headed two endeavors both heavily influenced by my interest in writing, a baby shower I threw for a friend and co-worker of mine that included a poem, and the third grade show I wrote about before where I took the lyrics of "Beat It" and made it "Read It".
Sometimes I feel like I am not letting my writing style shine to its full potential. I often wonder if I have what it takes to write a hit song, a good sitcom pilot or even a screenplay. But then I think about the little ways my writing has entertained others. I may never be the next Stephen King or John Hughes, but that doesn't mean I can't be proud of what I have accomplished.
But enough about what I do well. My laundry list of flaws is far more interesting if you ask me.
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