At the beginning of August, I invented the Maverick Bluestocking. I wanted to write in a more overtly spiritual way, which is true to where I am in life at the moment, but also to explore the relationship between spiritual and intellectual in my life. Both perspectives are vital to me and I think they are interdependent. A blogging challenge offering daily topic suggestions based on spiritual subjects was a perfect way for me to go about this exploration.
I would recommend daily blogging to anyone wanting to explore their perspective on a specific subject and in particular to anyone looking for their own authentic voice. If you have to blog every single day for a month, you won’t have time to craft your paragraphs and sentences and think everything through carefully, assuming you have a job/family/whatever to tend to. You just have to think of something to write about, or decide how you will tackle the suggested topic, and get on with it. Letting go of control and not having too much time means you are more likely to end up writing in your own authentic voice. I wrote a few posts at the beginning of the month about thinking less and this is one area where it really helps. Think less, let the self-consciousness go, and you will begin to sound like the real you.
During the month I have written on many subjects, including thinking less as above, presence, having fun, meditation, perfection and success, illness and rest. This last subject, rest, has presented itself as something of a challenge to me and I suspect that I will be exploring it in much more detail in time to come.
I’m looking forward to a little rest from daily blogging, but tomorrow I will be sending out my newsletter. I hope that if you liked my posts you will sign up to receive an inspirational email from me every couple of weeks. There’s a link to sign up below this post.
So this is farewell from the Maverick Bluestocking for the time being. She has helped me develop further as a writer about spiritual matters and to explore some deeper subjects. She has also really supported me in my quest to intertwine my intellectual perspective with my spiritual awareness. I now know that both of these aspects of me support each other, and they both need each other. I no longer live totally in my head, depending on logical thought and acquired knowledge alone, but I haven’t abandoned these values for a more spiritual life. I am combining it all to make a rounded whole, using all the tools and gifts I have collected from both ends of the spectrum to move forward and try to understand just a little better what it means to be here and how we can all be a little more aware of the miracle of our existence.
I’ve made some lovely new friends during the month and I look forward to continuing to connect, and to making more new connections. If you know someone who might enjoy my musings, please do send them over.
Thank you and bless you for reading xxx
I truly enjoyed your blog during the challenge.
And I yours Mary. Thank you. It has been lovely to get to know you through the challenge.
Over the years, I have had various blogs but decided to stop. My reasoning being I was finding myself spending far too much time in my virtual world and communicating with other fingers on other keyboards rather than using that time to live in my tangible environment and spend time on real relationships. i also got hooked on viewing statistics and all that palaver.
Is this something you have considered?
i would be really interested to hear your perspective Harriet. Blogging, for me, turned out to be just another route down my rabbit hole.
Much love
Juliana
That’s an interesting thought and I can see the potential problem. I actually spend only a small amount of time blogging because I am busy with so many other things. I can get a blog post written and posted in 15 minutes easily and then I just have to squeeze in time to reply to comments etc. I’ve also made a lot of ‘real’ friends online. I have some good friends whom I first met through blogging. But the most important thing for me is that my blogs always have a definite purpose. Sometimes I am trying out a subject with a view to turning it into a book. Sometimes, as during August, I am refining my voice and exploring subjects which I haven’t written about publicly before. And it is helpful to see the reactions of my readers. My online presence as a whole is all tied into my other writing and helps to inform it, and I hope in future will help to market it. And I have to admit that I don’t pay much attention to statistics. I didn’t like the ones that came with WordPress when I moved my blog to the website. I must get that seen to! I just write what I write and see what people want to say to me.
Come to think of it, it probably helps that I view blogging as part of my ‘work,’ albeit an enjoyable part, so it’s a task to be completed rather than a diversion.
Thanks for your thoughtful comment!
I’ve always found your posts are written in a natural way, and that’s something that comes easier to some than it does to others.
You make a great point though about how to develop it if it doesn’t come easily – repeated writing and with time pressures – great tips on their own, and really powerful when combined!
cheers,
Gordon
Hi Harriet. I’ve really enjoyed reading your blog while we’ve been doing this challenge. It’s been a pleasure to read your insights. I agree with all your points here. I had a week off afterwards…sadly not as much resting as I would like, but I do agree it’s an essential part of life. In the past when I’ve tried to push myself too hard, I only end up ill and have to rest then… See you on the next challenge!