Tell stories

We tell ourselves stories for a lot of reasons. Today I am listening to an audiobook of a fascinating steampunk fantasy. It’s written based on a webcomic by a married couple who for 20 years have posted one page at a time, three days a week. This week they missed completely, without advance notice except to their Patreon supporters. One of them is in the hospital. It’s not expected to be long-lasting, but she is out of action for a bit. Her husband draws the pictures and a third person colors them, but they can’t do it without her determining the scenes and words.

I have been writing, off and on, for most of my life, ever since the day my older brother gave me a small notebook with trees on the cover. He neatly wrote Melinda’s Journal at the top in clear decorative letters. I wrote in his room while he worked on something. When suppertime came, he read what I had written and told me it was good. He added a second “p” to “supper” with his blue fountain pen. I soon filled that notebook and went on to a Garfield the cat diary that he gave me for Christmas.

I have been told that I write well, that I have interesting insights, that I should write a book. I owe this to writing, a little at a time, for many years. My writing has sometimes been read by others, but until this blog started, I didn’t keep to a schedule. Technically I’m still not, since blog format allows me to queue up posts for future days.

I admire the webcomic authors for their persistence. At one point they took a month off to spend time with their children and do household stuff; in 20 years that’s a reasonable need. I used to belong to a homeschool blog group, that posted a link to one member’s blog every week. In cleaning out old emails I looked up some of the links. Two out of dozens, are still going in some form, 12 years later.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with stopping when you need to stop. My husband wrote a blog to track his bicycle journey on the Great Allegheny Passage. When he completed his journey, he wrapped up the blog. But I do not lack for things to say. This blog is aimed at getting my thoughts posted online. I’m not restricting those thoughts to specific topics or areas. My experience is my own, unique to me.

You are also unique, like and unlike every other person you meet. Our stories lift us and give us meaning; they provide a way to share things we could not say otherwise. Do not be afraid to speak. Tell us your story, a little at a time. Begin at the beginning, and at suppertime, take a break.