It’s a long time to be writing one story, isn’t it.

I’ve been meaning to return here for the past few weeks; so many different stories in my head. Yet I can’t quite form any of them into a coherent post. There’s far too many catch-up posts waiting in the wings so I’ve taken to pen and paper to write some sort of to-write list.

Ironically, here I am writing an entirely different post all together.

I’m the first to admit that social media has made it difficult for me to write more than a few paragraphs at a time. Our social desire for succinct snippets has greatly affected my productivity; I can churn out a few paragraphs without a worry yet I’m all of a sudden daunted by the thought of filling a page.

And yet I’ve got ideas that are brewing. Ideas that have forced themselves to be heard and are begging to become so much more than a passing thought. I’m reminded of Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic (read it, if you haven’t) and her belief that if we don’t grab an idea by the horns and do something with it, it leaves us and goes knocking on someone else’s door.

My ideas aren’t particularly magical, in fact they may seem rather mundane, but I think they’re worth pursuing. And yet in my current situation, getting them down on the page is proving bloody difficult for a few reasons:

1. I spend far too long flitting about on social media when I could be carving out chunks of quality writing time. This is merely a bad habit that needs to change and I’m working on it
2. I over-analyse every sentence instead of just getting the words on the page. Solution? Write stream of consciousness and come back to edit, correct and expand
3. Living in a caravan with four children leaves little opportunity for quiet, reflective writing time. I must learn to write amidst the chaos (or use Daniel’s noise-cancelling headphones)
4. I spent a significant amount of creative energy on photography which doesn’t leave much for the writing side of things. Perhaps finding some kind of balance would be beneficial.

Today, as I forced myself to sit here and just wait till something – anything! – came to fruition, I realised that this humble blog is 11 years old. Fancy that! And regardless of my excuses, blogger’s block isn’t a reason to stay away. If anything, it’s the best encouragement to come back and write everything down.

If I think back to the very beginning, I’m reminded that this blog never started with lofty goals. It was merely a vessel for my note-taking as a young mum. I navigated new motherhood as best I could and wrote down my thoughts and observations accompanied by photos of my firstborn. It was simply an online journal with no time schedule or audience in mind.

And yet here I am, eleven years on, a creative mind considering social feeds and influencing photos and storylines and how they all correlate. There-in lies the problem; too many outward influences when I know, deep down, that the story is there; I just need to sit, focus and write it down.

As with everything, getting back to basics is the best way forward.

I always wanted this blog to be a positive space that informed and inspired and right now I’m determined to return more regularly. Because creatively I need to hold myself accountable, regardless of how challenging it may be. But even more than that, I think we, as a readership, need to return to longer stories that get to the heart of the matter.

Less mindless scrolling and more thoughtful ponderings. Or perhaps that’s just me.