Today is Day 50 of my personal 100 (Week)Day Writing Challenge.
Halfway there! 🎉🥱
I wanted to look back at what I’ve written before moving on to the next fifty. Some pieces have meant more to me than others. Some were more fun to write. A few were me pushing myself to try something new.
Getting a little uncomfortable
The Deaf Ear was a very different kind of writing for me early on. It’s simple, but I dug a little deeper into myself and my own experience for the imagery. I was trying something outside my comfort zone.
It’s not necessarily a piece I expect a lot of other people to love. But I was proud of the result. There’s something satisfying about trying a different way of writing and coming away with something that somehow feels right.
Enough is Enough might be the piece I’m most proud of. I wanted to communicate something deeply personal while using as many plays on the word enough as I could.
Finding words for things I believe
Give a Damn is quite possibly my favorite piece from this whole process so far. It’s something I believe to my core, and I’m happy with the way I was able to communicate it.
Scooting Over was my first real attempt to explain an idea I’ve carried around for a while: The Kids’ Table. I call it an idea. Maybe it’s more of an emerging core value. I tried to get a little more personal with this one.
I’ve also enjoyed making time to write through some of my core values about leadership and my profession:
Sometimes I’ve been straightforward. Sometimes I’ve tried to have a little more fun with the delivery. I’ve appreciated having a reason to slow down and put those beliefs into words.
The Skeleton of a Leader grew out of my experience with Leadership West Virginia last year. The program had a real impact on me, and I was happy to finally give some of those thoughts a place to live outside my brain.
The boys keep teaching me
The most meaningful writing for me is still the writing about my boys.
Fatherhood has taught me more than I ever could have imagined. Some of those lessons have found their way into these pieces:
I’ve been working on different skills throughout this challenge, but this type of writing comes most naturally to me. I love exploring a small but very real moment that illustrates some deeper wisdom.
My boys are forever my best teachers.
Having some fun
K-9 Landmines is about our dog.
She’s a good girl.
This was one of the more fun pieces to write.
An Acquired Taste came from wanting to write something lighter but still real. Something relatable and, hopefully, a little interesting.
Coffee it is.
Fifty more
I’ve briefly considered stopping my challenge here. 50 is a nice round number. I’ve learned so much about writing and about myself. I’m also tired. And busy. There’s a reason days 49 and 50 of my WEEKday writing challenge are coming on a Saturday and Sunday. I’m glad I gave myself some wiggle room.
I want to give myself more time per piece in the future. More research. More reflection. Let something sit for a while and come back to it. I may eventually rewrite some of these pieces. I know I’ll at least revisit them.
But I’m going to try to stick with it. Try to keep learning and keep farming my own inner world to see what other thoughts and ideas I can harvest.
Most importantly, I’ve fallen in love with writing. I’m infatuated with the creative act itself. I love the artistry and the act of communication. I don’t know if I’d call myself a writer. And if I am, I don’t know what kind of writer I’ll one day be.