The End

I recently published my first edited book,  Labor of Love: A Literary Mama Staff Anthology ,  with  Small Harbor Publishing . It's an anthology of writing from  Literary Mama  staff over the past 20 years. It's a beautiful collection and I am proud of the writers and proud to share the book.  It seems a fitting moment, as I pondered sharing about the book here on the blog, to reflect on my life as a blogger, and acknowledge that it is time to officially end this blog.   I started blogging in about 2007, when my baby was learning to toddle, when I was learning how to be a mother and stepmother, when I was just starting to see my way as a writer. I needed it back then. I craved it. I had a variety of blog iterations--family, art, creativity, writing things I delved into. There's a freedom in blogging, a casualness, an easy familiarity that's lacking (for me anyway) in other kinds of writing. I loved blogging and the words came pouring out.  Over the years since then, some
0

Thank you!

Dear Readers,
You may know I am working on writing letters of gratitude this year.  Sometimes I think the world has gone crazy, and sometimes I think I have gone crazy.  Probably both are close to happening.  However, one thing that does make a small dent in the madness is a bit of focus on giving thanks.  So, I am writing a note to you, whoever you are, reading this blog.

Let me just say that I LOVED my two previous blogs.  One had about 4 followers, and one had 120.  Both had great promise and purpose for me.  And both ran through to the end of their course, and then I let them go.  This blog, only a few months old, is beginning to grow on me.  It allows me to process all that I am learning about writing, share great books I have read, and gives me a personal goal for writing each week. In many senses, I write it for myself.  But like all writing, these words ache to be read.

Which, is where you come in.  I know some of you people who read these words.  For those of you who drop a note, thank you!  For those of you who like on facebook, thank you!  For those of you who take the time to leave a comment and say you care, thank you!  Getting feedback and response from you all is delightful and gratifying.  And lets me know I am saying something that is of interest.

But I don't know you all.  And I wonder who else is reading what I write.  You anonymous folks, lurking in the network shadows, stopping in quietly sometimes, you too make writing worthwhile.  You make me want to try harder, compose more vivid sentances, and take more time with what I write.  I don't know who you are, but I write for you.  I write to become better at putting words together to see if I can get you to speak up. 

Writing is about sharing what is going on inside your mad little brain.  Diving right in, and finding truth; then lobbing it onto the field, hoping that someone on the other side will catch it, and lob back a bit of their own truth.  The lobs that do not get returned make a person like me try harder next time to aim in a more accurate direction, still looking for a response.

I love all you readers.  I am enormously grateful for all of you who come to this blog, take the time to comment or share, as well as for all you readers who are quietly in the background, pushing my imagination to write better.  Thank you for reading, and I give you my utmost Gratitude.

Peace,
Amanda

Comments

Post a Comment