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I am a writer.

I have known that simple fact the majority of my life. I have been writing for as long as I can remember. I had my first story published in my school year book when I was in first grade. It was short story, 8 sentences or so, about seeing ants with a fellow student.

It may not sound like much, but hey, I was 6 years old. I still remember the day my teacher told me she was going to be submitting for printing in the school yearbook. This was a big deal. Great one students did not get their work published in the school yearbook. My teacher had been impressed with my six-year-old ability to form sentence structure, create a plotline, and develop characters, all on my own.

By the age of 16, I had decided that I would not likely pursue writing professionally. I also decided that I would not likely pursue acting or singing, which I also loved. Don’t get me wrong, I did apply for journalism and english at several different college and college/university programs around the province. I got accepted to almost all of them. However I turned them down.

The bottom line is that I wanted to get the hell out of Dodge. I was terrified that I if I pursued anything to do with the arts, I would be left as a struggling, job-less writer/actor/singer who would wind up back in my small town, working at Tim Hortons, serving the morning coffee to my piece-of-shit ex-stepfather every morning.

So instead I pursued the business side of writing. I applied for advertising at several schools and got accepted. As I predicted, I was able to obtain a job in the field of advertising and marketing right out of college. I have since built a decent ten-year career in traditional and digital marketing. While I love what I do, and I want to continue doing it, I also feel that I need to get back to the core of my writer soul.

I started this blog nearly 4 years ago as a way to do just that. It is a place for me to share what I want to share. No rules to adhere to. No corporate image to uphold. Just my voice, in my space.

I have always used this blog to write for me, first and foremost. However, I do enjoy working on sponsored content, giveaways, product reviews, etc. It’s in my blood as a seasoned marketer.  I also use this space to share funny moments and photos with my family. My balance of content has always been on the latter, since this is primarily a place for me to capture memories and share my experiences in parenting.

A good old Moleskine.

What I haven’t used this space for much, is the core writing pieces that challenge me. The more lengthy, essay style posts that are full of opinions and stellar wordsmithing. I have done a few and I am very proud of them, but I want to do more.

To use an analogy, I feel like I writer who does warm-ups and sprints regularly, but has completed only a few marathons.

And so here I stand, declaring my 2015 goal (which I refuse to call a resolution) to write more challenging posts. I am going to start with a goal of 1 per month and hope to reach 1 per week by the end of the year. I think this is achievable. I used to be a very fast writer. Just as a runner can increase their time with each race, I will complete more marathon style posts until they once again feel like second nature.

To sum it up hashtag style, I am going to #ReclaimMyWritersSoul.

I might write long-winded opinion posts on something controversial or current in the news. I might write passionate posts about various causes I am involved in. I will certainly write lengthy and heartfelt pieces to or about my children, which I can share with them when they are older. Anyone who knows me knows that I have a lot to say. All of the time.

I have never been accused of being too quiet. Ideally speaking, this blog will start reflecting that. 

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While I am still working on the full tour/reveal post, I thought I would share one tiny little corner that was created for one specific part of me – my writer’s soul.

I really wanted to have an area in this room that I could look at and instantly remember some of the many reasons I call myself a writer. I have thought of myself as a writer since I was about 8 or 9 years old, but I don’t always feel like one. While this blog is a beautiful space for me to share stories of my family, reviews and social change, I don’t publish essay style posts nearly as often as I would like. I’m talking about the ones that really allow me to flex my writing muscles and leave me a little bit breathless at the end.

My goal for 2015 is to #ReclaimMyWritersSoul.

This corner of my little personal heaven is set up full of visual reminders to help me with that goal. From my half filled journals to my antique ink well. My Jo doll from Little Women (my favourite book), my gorgeous cast iron Underwood typerwriter and the motivational posters I made. I am a writer nerd and everything on this desk reflects that.

It screams nerd. And I love every. single. bit. of it.

If you are feeling a little blocked in the writing department and are looking for some motivation, I have the three posters I made available below as free downloads. Help yourself and enjoy. Click the link in the caption for the full size of each image and save from there. They are formatted to print out in an 8×10.

Click for full image & save.

Click for full image & save.

Click for full image & save.

Ideally speaking, I’ll make the time for my writing in this room…and maybe even get back to my novel for the first time in 4 years…

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