I started this blog in January of 2020- mostly because I had just undergone the misfortune of seeing CATS in theaters, and I needed to talk to someone about it. But also because I had this idea that forcing myself to write at least one piece every week would help me cement the habit of Actually Being A WriterTM.
And then a scant two months later, the world was ending and this blog became one of the only benchmarks of stability or routine in my life.
So for the past year-and-change, save for a few weeks off to get married or to write a book, I’ve been keeping up with weekly posts/articles/essays for That Type of Girl.
It’s been fun, and it’s been frustrating. I’ve had weeks where already having a platform to talk about recent events was a lifesaver, and I’ve had weeks where the obligation to come up with something to write about felt like it was ruining my life. I’ve had people contact me to tell me that something I wrote really resonated positively with them, and I’ve had people bitch me out because they didn’t like what I’d written. I’ve made and lost friends over posts made on this blog.
It’s been a real ride, that’s the bottom line. But did it do as intended, and make me a better and more consistent writer?
Ehhhh.
I think that if there’s one thing I’ve learned in 1+ years of writing this blog, it’s that it’s incredibly difficult for me to focus on more than one project at a time. And so for all the time that I’ve spent focusing on writing a weekly blog, all my other works-in-progress have really fallen by the wayside. I might be writing more consistently, but not on the projects that I actually care about.
And I don’t know that I would say I’ve become a better writer, either- or at least not by my definition of better, which to be perfectly honest still remains pretty nebulous. All I can say on this front is that I’ve discovered there really isn’t one magical fix-all to jumpstart good habits as an author. It’s a motivation thing, or a discipline thing, or even an inspiration thing- but whatever the cause, it comes and goes without regard to my attempts to control it, and maintaining the weekly writing schedule hasn’t made any measurable difference.
So in light of that, I’m feeling that it’s time to take a little break from the Sunday Column.
I’m not necessarily giving up the blog, and I’m not saying I’ll never again write a little piece of nonsense for something to do on a Sunday morning- but I think that the more important thing, at least for the moment, is for me to put that time towards finishing a couple of mostly-written drafts that have been sitting in my notebook for ages.
This isn’t a forever goodbye, and it might be more of a format change than it’s a goodbye at all- but only my stylist knows for sure.
What I can tell you is that I’ll be back with another post whenever I’m back with another post, and I hope we’ll all have a lovely reunion whenever that turns out to be.
Stay fresh, ya cheese puffs.
That Type of Girl 