A challenge to write ...

#writeforthirty - that was the hashtag I saw on the gram along with a challenge and I really do love a good challenge.  What in the world is this challenge anyway? Well its a challenge to write for 30 minutes for 30 days and why would anyone in the world want to do that you might ask.  Well the sweet fellow partner in the gospel, wife, mama, writer and probably a host of other things that I follow on the gram put out the challenge.  To be completely honest I only know this fellow gal pal through the internet.  I actually found her via her blog - kind of appropriate since here I am right bakc at my own blog ... so why not?  She wants to become a better writer - at least that is the gist of what I was getting from her post.  She's actually a writer so of course this makes absolute sense!  I on the other hand am NOT an author, I don't write articles for magazines, I haven't authored any books and it has clearly been a HOT MINUTE since I have written on this forum that we call the good ole blog.  I do write every Friday when I am putting together my Friday Favorites but that hardly takes 30 minutes - maybe 10 at the most and that is only on social media.  So why in the world am I doing this?  And just a note I have only been writing for four minutes and I still have 26 to go ... this is most definitely going to prove to be challenging.  So back to why am I doing this.  Well I do actually have a couple of reasons.

1. My kids actually have asked me on more than once occasion why I don't blog anymore.  I don't really have an excellent reason except that one little or big word we call TIME.  So at least for the next 30 days I can maybe give them some blogworthy material or at least something to look back on. When I started blogging in the first place - I wanted a space where I could record things so we would remember them.  You know kind of like a baby book - but a family book.  I've clearly lost a few years here and some big life things have happened but I say it's never too late - right?

2.  I actually do have this dream of writing a book and having my own podcast.  If I actually write a book that is going to take some discipline in writing so maybe this little challenge will help me see if I want this crazy dream of mine to become a reality one day.

3.  I love words.  I am not good at words but I love them.  I love to read and I love to hear my good friends process things out loud because well I just have friends that have good words and they write good things you know in their answers to our Bible Study questions.  So maybe in writing for 30 minutes everyday I might learn some new words.

I have no idea how this is going to turn out or if I will even become a better writer.  I am terrible with conventions - I feel so bad for the grammar nerd that is reading this right now and dying inside because there are probably way more run on and fragment sentences than their educated minds can even take. So I am sorry my English language loving friends.  I just write like I am having a conversation with you - who needs commas, semi colons or periods anyway.

Well I am almost halfway through - I keep staring at the clock - I have got 13 minutes left.  I have a Hallmark Christmas movie going on in the background. I have already missed too much of this movie to be concerned with what I am missing - that's probably a good thing and we all know how all these Christmas Hallmark movies end anyway.  They're feel good movies that is why we watch them anyway.

I am noticing my computer screen needs a good cleaning and how in the world did dog hair end up all over my computer is beyond me.

Part of me wants to check my phone and see who's got what football scores right now but I am resisting the urge.  After all my beloved Bulldogs pulled out a win after being the underdog today at least in the sports analysts world.  Not one of those analyst/announcers thought my dawgs could come out on top today - well I guess they showed the SEC East who's boss at least out on the football field this afternoon.

8 minutes to go

I did ask my IG friend who put this challenge out there if she had prompts for each day? Like I am wondering right now - what in the world will she or I or anyone else in this challenge write about for 30 minutes on Thanksgiving day?  Did you know that is my most favorite holiday ever?!! My gut says there will be no prompts its going to be just write for 30 minutes - to that I say YIKES and OK - I can do this.  I can be hopeful though - or maybe I should just look for prompts - after all I am not a writer and she is so she is a bit more experienced than I am and she most definitely probably keeps her blog way more up to date than I have mine.

Today's a new day though and now for the next 29 days I am going to make a concerted effort to get on here and post. I will even start posting my Friday favorites on here.  I actually had been contemplating that for a bit anyway because I have a love hate relationship with social media but I LOVE doing my Friday Faves.  It is such a neat way for me to cultivate an attitude of gratitude.  Speaking of that - I got a super neat idea for cultivating gratitude this month in particular from a good friend.  She has her peeps write out everyday something they are thankful for and they put it in a big mason jar and read them all on Thanksgiving day.  I LOVE this idea and plan to start on Monday! I am going to just have a jar on my table with some paper and pens out so the peeps in my family can add to the jar. We used to do a thankful chain but I love this idea.  Traditions are so fun!

Well my timer just went off!! Until tomorrow friends! I'll see ya when I see ya!
~LeighAnn