This is my 200th official piece. I have written others and posted a few of them, too, but this is the 200th week in a row that I have posted my writing. I set out the first year to write about the first twelve years of my life. I don’t remember much before 1950 so it is really the decade between 1950 and 1960. That was the first fifty-two stories. Then I wrote one each week for a year about the 60s. That was followed by fifty-two about the 70s and now this one is the forty-forth of the 80s.
When I get these done I’ll move on to the 90s. After that I may take a break for while. More on that later. The more recent they are more sensitive I need to be. When I write about experiences in education I can expect to touch on some pretty sensitive issues.
The more recent the more I remember so the more I can write about. I kept a lot of notes as a principal as well as a journal. There is a wealth of stuff to write about!
My original intent was to tell stories about my youth that might be of interest to our children and grandchildren and beyond. Now retelling the stories of my life are as much for me as for anyone. Some are interesting and others are dreadfully boring but need to be told. Some are not really stories but musings from my journal.
I have discovered that it is impossible to cover a decade of your life in fifty-two installments. I left out many things and did not elaborate on others. I think when I get through the 90s, which will be about a year and a half from now, that I will go back and revisit the decade and tell some of the things I left out.
My intent initially was not only to tell the stories but also to practice being a writer. I am really convinced that to be a successful writer you have to do a lot of writing to practice the skills. I don’t know if I have improved or not? Some of my stories have been published in the Mt. Pleasant paper. I haven’t sought to publish them beyond that.
One of the things I had hoped for was more response from readers. I have gotten very little of that. I don’t know if the writing is so bad that people don’t know what to say or nobody is reading it.
I know some of my recollections are not accurate and I have expected people to correct me on a few points but that hasn’t happened. I can see why journalists like even negative response about their writing because they at least know someone read it even if they didn’t agree with them.
Oh well! Response isn’t everything. I’ll keep writing and maybe seek a wider audience at some point. For now the process has been fascinating for me.
2 comments:
#200 - That is fantastic! I am so glad you are doing this. I love reading these pieces. They help me remember and also help me to know you better. Perry, you are a good writer. You have a clear direct style that is easy to read and inviting to the reader.
I think it is hard to get response to blogs partly because there are so many and most people are more interested in expressing their own opinions than reading others' opinions. People are too busy, to really tend thoughtfully to one another. There are some things people do to increase their readership. I have a podcast about that you could listen to. It is hard to write without getting feedback. (That was what your whole letter writing approach was about.) Some of the people in my class at the Ia Summer Writer's Festival were in online writers' groups which gave each other feedback. You could join a writer's group too. That really helped me with my first book. I think your girls and grandkids are gonna just love what you have written as they get older.
Keep at it! I love reading it.
I've been reading your blog for a couple of years now and have found it fascinating. Don't stop! If you read and comment on lots of other blogs, I bet you will get more response and comments. Keep a blogroll and link to other writers. That will help broaden your audience. But I am out here, reading invisibly.
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