I was going to write a special post for my 900th post on this blog. Apparently that was two weeks ago and today will be post 905. I don’t check out the stats on my blog very often. I just did a quick check and found I still have followers and about half the comments made here are mine.
There are times I wonder if I should keep doing this blog. Then I come to my senses and just keep writing. When asked why I write, my standard answer is, “I write because I have stories to tell.” For my 900th post I was thinking of telling a special story.
But I forgot to write it down and don’t remember what story that was, so naturally I started thinking about the stories of our lives. Even the most simple event can be the basis of a great story. The impact of the story is in the hands of teller.
As I age I find comfort and inspiration from the simple and ordinary acts around us. Wash the dishes and watch the garden as it bends in the wind and in your mind follow the wind as it blows your imagination to distant lands. The job of the writer is to take a story out of the wind and share it with others. The story can be real or imagined. It can be about great things or simple things. When the tale is told, the reader should be changed by the telling. Maybe in a just a small way – a smile, a tear …
In this blog I use the written word to share my stories. Sometimes in a poem or as prose. Sometimes they are funny, sometimes serious and once in a while a bit meaningful.
There are many ways to share a story other than writing. There’s the spoken word, a video, a picture, a stage play, a song, and on and on. Even graffiti on a bridge tells a story if you take the time to understand it.
Lately I’ve been giving some thought to possibly expanding how I tell stories. In the past I’ve done a little playing with video editing and have thought I might do more. I’ve also done a fair amount of public speaking in the past and have some skill. In these covid days, I can’t attend the open mic poetry readings I used to, but technology lets me record and post those.
Lately I’ve been feeling that it’s about time I took a chance with my creative work. The work I’ve done with this blog has been satisfying, but always there is artistic need to do something more, something different, something from a different angle …
So what is the future you might find here? I don’t know for sure. Maybe there will be videos, audio, more pictures or perhaps I’ll start planning my posts better. I’ll make some changes.
I know many of my followers have their own blogs and creative outlets – what changes have you been thinking about in your creative work?
Andrew's View of the Week 
Wow that’s a lot….congratulations….💐
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It is nice having an outlet. I’m glad you haven’t thrown in the blogging towel. If I were to make a change, it would be to blog more often and consistently, but, eh… when’s that going to happen?
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When’s that’s going to happen? When you kids move out an go to a college in a different state? It could happen …
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Ha. Will I still have a blog then? It may have seriously evolved by then.
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you may have moved onto a YouTube vlog …
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Oh, yikes. To be seen visually? Make myself presentable? Pass.
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I’ve seen a few vlogs – presentable doesn’t seem to be a major requirement …
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Ha! But what if those people think they ARE being presentable? That would undoubtedly be my problem.
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Great post, Andrew, and Congrats on the milestone! I left blogland for over a year and didn’t think I’d return. Then Covid came and my mind was changed. It’s a great way to connect with others. I don’t write poetry as much, so I was stumped as to what I’d share. Well, I decided to share some of the personal stories/essays I’ve written. So far, no one’s thrown tomatoes! Once in a while, a poem will form, too. Anyway, it’s a fun outlet and I’m looking forward to your new changes. I also appreciate you continuing to visit my site. 🙂
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The community is one big reason I keep on writing.
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Hi Andrew, congrats on going further than 900 posts. Keep at it
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I’ll keep it going.
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That’s a lot of posts! It’s not a number I ever checked before, so I had to look. I have a mere 355 to report, but then I’m usually good for only one a week, if that.
Here’s to your future creative endeavors!
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That’s what I thought when I saw the number! I wonder who wrote all that.
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Very interesting – I’ll look forward to your new developments! I’ve been thinking about doing my blog posts as podcasts, but time I spend on my blog is time that I’m not writing (and writing is my sole source of income). Always a tough balancing act…
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It will be interesting. Time is the key issue – so much of what I want to do is based on having the time.
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Congrats on 900 ,nice post👌
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Thank you
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I find during the winter months I spend more time analyzing my blog…it’s appearance, (including the colour scheme as my mood changes) who my followers are, what changes I can make to entice more readers etc. etc…In the summer I tend to coast lol
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There is a rhythm to the year and that is just another factor in what we do or don’t do.
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I’m at 852 posts, never checked before!
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It’s one of those things that I check once or twice a year.
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Quite an accomplishment – those 905 posts! Congrats! Changes? I’m always thinking about changes to my blog, but then I think….oh, that takes too much work. Either I’m lazy or I’m just settling for the ways things are. After I left my working gig a few years ago, I had such big plans – speaking, writing a novel, etc., etc. Now I consider it a plus if I get three blog posts written a week and three of my photographs ready to accompany them. But you know what? I’m okay with that because it gives me more time to spend with my grandchildren. 🙂
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If you satisfied with that, great. There are times we need to change and times when staying the course makes the most sense.
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WOW! 905 posts. I checked after reading your post, and I’m at 493. But, I took a break for a few years after blogging every single day for just over a year. I always enjoy reading your posts Andrew. Keep up the weekly entertainment for your fans.
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It’s taken a long time to get here as I only post once or twice a week, but the journey has been worth it.
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Good post, Andrew. That question–why do we blog–is so different for everyone. Me, I’d miss fellow bloggers. I worry when someone doesn’t post. Once, it was because they passed on but usually, it’s another reason. I like this community.
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That is true – any creative outlet needs an aspect of community to help add meaning to the activity. Like you, I’d miss my community if I wasn’t blogging.
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Congratulations on 900+!
I always look forward to reading you.
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Thank you and I always read your blog.
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Change is always happening, so just go with the flow…
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as I like to say, “The only constant is change.”
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I love what you said about writers making a story out of the wind. I don’t know if you have tried submitting any stories for an anthology, but I found that to be a wonderful learning process and a good way to meet new readers and authors. I seem to change my writing and blogging all the time, depending on my fancy. Roberta Writes is currently sharing a series of posts about my family’s holidays in our home country of South Africa and I also write about my writing process and some book reviews. Robbie’s Inspiration has been quite focused on baking again as I haven’t been writing much poetry lately. I’m have been to bogged down in finishing my 110 000 word novel.
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I’ve been bad about submitting stories and poems – something I should do more.
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I have changed my posts since starting in 2013. I write a better blog now, and I often try to share a story but include in the story a meaningful message. I have also tried to experiment with a few short stories like the Call my Skywalker series.
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It’s the great thing about a blog – you get to pick how you express yourself and get to try out lots of things. Creativity at it’s best.
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Since I could no longer attend school board meetings and comments had to be submiited in writing I decided to create a power point instead. But I had the challenge of not being there to present and barely any experience in making one. I enlisted a lot of helpful eyes and found out that it wasn’t quite the challenge I had anticipated. Equity was on my mind even before the current events brought that into focus. So things sometimes just happen for a reason!
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That’s a great way to push yourself into creating something different and perhaps even better way to get your point across.
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Funny you should ask. I just made a major change on my blog — new name, new theme. It kept me busy for 7-10 days getting everything just the way I wanted it, working out the kinks, etc. But that’s my creative outlet — tinkering with my blog.
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It’s a great outlet and there is creativity in that.
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“The job of the writer is to take a story out of the wind and share it with others. ” Love this. That is exactly how I feel. I never know where anything is going until I write it. I love where writing takes my mind. Keep going, Andrew.
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Writing can take us in interesting directions.
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