The Pledge: A Month of Writing

I know, I've been slacking.  My last post was almost a month ago, and it wasn't even that good.  It's okay, you might say.  You've been busy with school, and your heart was broken.  Take the time that you need.  But the truth is, routine is my stability.  Creativity is at my core.  I'd forgotten that.  (Plus, there's no way in hell I'm letting one guy's stupidity keep me down.)

As such, I am making a pledge: One full month of writing.

Daily writing is actually how Counting Up took shape in the first place, a little more than a year ago.  My good friend Denise Hopkins challenged people she knew to do something creative every day.  She's a painter (a badass one, at that), so she painted.  Being a writer, I wrote...in the form of this blog.  It seems only right to get back to the roots as I return to writing again.  Who knows?  Maybe it'll end up being more than a month.

Denise Hopkins inspires me constantly.  This a painting of hers that I bought recently.
If you haven't seen her stuff, click HERE to check it out. 

Of course, I learned last September that writing a full-length blog post each day is a huge time investment.  Extremely rewarding, but also extremely exhausting.  I would often spend 2 or more hours each day writing...during times when I would normally be sleeping or exercising or otherwise doing things that are healthy for my body.

So, this month, I will be doing these a little differently.  Each of my posts will be as short and as sweet as possible without losing integrity, and they will only happen on weekdays.  On weekends, I'd like to feature the stories of you, the readers.  The story can be about anything or anyone, personal or informational.  Got a story you want to share?  Write it and send it to me.  Not comfortable writing for a blog?  Tell me the story, and I'll write it for you.  Have your own blog?  Send me the link to a piece you want to share, and I'll post that.

The blog will be not be password protected for the month of October, so that anyone who wants to read can read it without needing to contact me first.  However, I strongly request that you do not share the blog with older members of my family.  Because my parents don't need to know any more about my dating life than I tell them.


My greatest wish is that you enjoy the blog and get in the habit of reading, as I get in the habit of writing.  So, read it while you're sipping your morning coffee, stuck in traffic (in the passenger seat, of course), waiting at the doctor's office, or wherever you've got a moment to spare.

If you like it, click the "like" button.  If you really like it, share it on your own Facebook page.

If you have a thought about the post, write a comment.  (Of course, if you plan on cyberbullying me, I prefer you do that in the form of a private message.  Or, you know, not at all.)

In short: Month of Writing begins this week on Thursday.  Get excited!