Accept the Challenge: Day 4…sort of

WHY MUST YOU PUNY MORTALS CONTINUE TO CHALLENGE MY AUTHORITY?!

Once again a fellow English teacher inspired by students (in this case a student: her child) has slapped me with her literary glove for a duel of words! Or a challenge to write a little something every day for the month of March. Not quite as death-defying as a duel, but possibly as challenging to take the time to write daily. A similar challenge was how I started blogging in November 2012. I found the exercise enjoyable and often the best part of a long day. I discovered that I needed at least a couple of hours to write anything with substance so there were some late nights by the time I finished my thoughts. However I was and am vain enough to really like the idea that other people were seeing, “liking,” and commenting on what I had written.

Obviously, the blog has continued, but my weekly output is more along the lines of 1-2 posts unless something REALLY cool, gross, funny, upsetting, or weird…often weird, has happened.

At first, I ignored my friend’s challenge mostly because the email subject line sounded like it was going to be some kind of dieting and exercising challenge, and that just made me want to fucking punch her. By the time I started skimming the email train of replies, I was sucked into everyone who was replying “No” to her writing challenge. She had emailed a group of a dozen current and former English teachers and all she got in return was “I don’t have time.” And my reply that more or less implied, “Don’t you bitches read my blog? Shaaaaaa.”

It does take time to write. Ironically or perhaps hypocritically, we spend A LOT of time telling our students that very thing and then not doing it ourselves. Of course, we are often structuring their writing in attempt to work on their skills rather than saying, “Hey, go start a blog and write about cats. Make sure you use plenty of profanity. A+” Sometimes it is gratifying to practice what we preach a little.

Reasons why I (maybe we write):

I’m too fucking funny not to share this stuff with the world. THE END.
Since I started this blog, I find myself with ideas and phrases stuck in my head that MUST be written down before I go to sleep. Thank goodness for the notepad function on my phone.
It expands the social media idea of living our private lives publicly. Here I’ve got more creative control than a status update. But there are times when it feels like being alone in a public place.
If my cats can write novels, I can do this.
It sort of satisfies every English teacher’s secret desire to be a novelist.
Sometimes, I just need to say something no matter how mundane. Even if it’s writing about not having enough time to write, at least I’m saying it.
It’s a good outlet for a bad, sad, mad day.
I have used it as a way to discuss or announce things that are hard to share verbally. Sometimes, things that I don’t want to have to re-explain over and over to multiple concerned people.
It makes me happy when I feel like I’ve written something good, funny, or meaningful. Again, I’m vain enough to be in love with the comments and feedback I get from friends, peers, and complete strangers. If I’ve made you laugh, you owe me a dollar.
I feel like I’m at least exercising the muscles that my favorite high school English teacher and college tuition helped build.

AND THEN !!!! sometimes things like this happen and your own writing makes you squeal and pee with FAN GIRL EXCITEMENT!

I saw that The Bloggess had also written about W. Charles Marmota’s auction which was very “small world!” exciting, so I commented on her post and texted a friend who would understand the gravity of the situation.