I first started keeping a blog in July 2008, just days after
my book launch. Not surprisingly, I named the blog after my book: Finding Your Voice, Telling Your Stories.
I’ve no idea whether the blog “drove” sales of the book, but
it was fun to write, especially posts that described book promotion
events. It is a milestone to have one’s first book published—and to take it on
tour—so having a record of it all makes me very happy.
That first time out in Blogger Land lasted eight months,
until mid-March of 2009, and I didn’t return to blogging until three years later,
in the fall of 2012. When I did, I switched the focus to aging. Not
surprising—again—as I was just one short year away from the big 7-0.
I called that one On
the Geezer Beat, which I thought was kind of fun, my attempt to take aging
less seriously, to find the humor in it. However, I got a bit of (friendly)
blowback from some readers who didn't like the title, though they
enjoyed the posts.
And so in the fall of 2014, I formally changed the title to For Boomers & Beyonders, which
reflected both my target audience and the fact that I myself was a Beyonder. This title
change also allowed me to write about aging with a broader range of voices and
tones.
But no matter the title or focus, the blog format suits me
as a personal essayist. And while I continue to write, submit, and publish essays in print and online markets, this weekly exercise of writing a blog has hopefully
improved my writing overall. If nothing else, this regular practice has made me
less fearful of the blank page, something most all writers, including the
really famous ones, dread.
It also helps that many of my posts begin with or include a
personal story. And how could they not? My book and workshops are all about telling our stories. It’s our stories, I believe, that
connect us one to another. And so my hope is that my blog “stories” connect with those of my blog readers.
Especially around the process of aging, which, for all
of us is equal parts challenging and rewarding. In other words, an adventure. A pretty darn good one, one certainly worth sharing.
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NOTE: I’m thrilled to be returning to this year’s Printers
Row Lit Fest, which takes place next weekend, June 9 & 10. Click here for
information about the workshop I’m doing on Sunday, June 10, from 1:30 – 2:30
pm:
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