NaBloPoMo

It's NaBloPoMo, did you know?  That's National Blog Posting Month with the commitment to write a blog post everyday.  I hesitated to sign up because that is my commitment anyway but decided that the double reinforcement would be a positive thing.

I started my blog on 28 July this year and have written 85 posts.  That's 85 posts in 98 days.  86 per cent of my target.  I think. Regular readers will know how I feel about numbers. Days have been missed because of travel and there was a week when my computer was away being fixed.

One of my original intentions in starting divacultura was to create a daily writing habit.  I focussed intensely on the first 21 days in line with the psychological theory that it takes 21 days to create a habit.  I've certainly succeeded in creating the habit and am having no trouble maintaining it.  The habit is now so entrenched that it is a pleasant compulsion I feel to sit down to write.  So far I have not struggled for inspiration and feel happy that divacultura is now part of my life.

There were also reasons for wanting to establish this habit.

Firstly, I'd been in discussion with myself for quite a while.  The main theme of this discussion was "I need to write more".  One day I realised that this was a pointless discussion if no action accompanied it.  The breakthrough came when I accepted that the word "more" was a dishonest inclusion.  I just needed to write.  So I did.  I also made a public statement in my first post, Beginnings, about my intentions and purpose.  I knew I needed this so that friends and other readers would keep me honest.  And they have.  It has been lovely to be missed on those thirteen days where I have not posted.

Secondly, I have lots of ideas and am a creative person who likes to express myself.  I trained as a journalist and have always loved writing but lately had had no outlet - other than Twitter.  (Twitter is not to be dismissed.  The restriction of 140 characters imposes a discipline that really works to feed creativity.)  I've dabbled in comedy and been thinking for a while about marrying my performance and writing skills with the creation of a one woman comedy show.  I just didn't know how to start.  I still haven't started, but I've had some breakthroughs in writing divacultura.  I've discovered my voice. I've had some good ideas which I can see in performance.  Most importantly, I've tapped into something that keeps everything flowing.

Thirdly, my new found freelance status gives me a lot of flexibility in how I use my time.  I also have periods of time without work.  I wanted to consciously discipline myself to use that time productively and creatively.  Discipline has always been a personal challenge.

Fourthly, I wanted to harness my ability as a storyteller and observer and really sharpen it.

So far, my commitment to divacultura is serving all these purposes.  And there are probably other subconscious factors at play.

The one down side is that my songwriting has taken a backseat.  I haven't written a song in ages.  I'm okay with that.  It will come back when it's ready.

I derive enormous benefit from writing.  There's a really deep, rich seam of imagination, memory, observation, theory and mischief which I delight in diving into.  I've had some wonderful moments of revelation which have tickled and delighted me.  Writing daily has enriched my life in ways I could never have imagined.  Thank you to my readers who regularly provide feedback and comments here on the blog or through facebook and Twitter.  I'm very glad to know that others enjoy my work.  Knowing I have an audience makes a big difference.

(NaBloPoMo is providing daily prompts to support and inspire participants.  The prompt for 1 November was "what's your favourite part about writing".)