On Blogging and Dreaming

The blogs on the subject of blogging say that you should distinguish yourself. Offer something unique and different that nobody else is doing. That's tough for a middle aged Boomer woman writing about strong women. There are a lot of us out there in cyberspace, and even more of us on the ground.  It's hard to be unique when you're part of a herd!

I've been studying the stats on my blog and discovered that my Personal Reflections and some of my Writing Life posts are almost as popular as the book reviews. They are far more popular than my posts specifically on writing. I had all but stopped writing those kinds of posts because I thought people wouldn't be interested in my navel-gazing, and because I was awkward about using a pseudonym to talk about the life of the writer behind the name.

Time has passed, and I've become more comfortable with my alter-ego. I have designated 2012 to be my year for dreaming new dreams. "Dream" is my word for the year. I've been sharing some articles on the subject on Twitter. I think I'll try musing about dreaming, or dreaming about my musings, or otherwise babbling about dream-weaving here.

I may still be one of thousands of Boomer women documenting their journey toward old age, but it is uniquely my journey.  As a writer, all I have to offer readers are the words that arise from my own experience which is:


I am a fifty-something woman who within the last two years: 1-left her marriage of nearly 30 years, 2-lost three dress sizes, 3-became more physically fit than ever before, 4-Wrote the first drafts for four novels (one of which I've already published and one of with is such a horrible mess I think it's hopeless). I have spent the last two years alternately worrying (about money, my future, money, my job, money, my kid, money...), working (long hours on my day job and writing every spare moment) and walking the beaches for hours (to exercise and to try to find some peace).

Today, I am re-dreaming my life. I look great, feel great and have begun to believe I am moving in to a new -- and way cool -- phase of my life: older, wiser, stronger, spunkier and (maybe-?) funny and sexy (yikes!!!????).

Not surprisingly, almost immediately I have encountered bloggers who are doing the same thing, and inspiring me to look up once in a while and realize how wonderful my life is, and actually enjoy it.

Come along with me, won't you?