writing challenge.

People have spoken to me about being a writer ever since I was 11 years old. My great-uncle Dave was a book editor and one day in his house we stood next to a table overflowing with stacks of manuscripts, and he grasped my hands in his huge, loving, trembly ones and said, “Julie, you need to write every single day. Just a little bit. Just write.”

I listened to him, not because I wanted to make something outstanding out of my writing, but just because I loved to do it.

That’s how it’s been for me all these years. I love to write. And I’ve had help along the way: from family, from English teachers and from a friend who’s about to have a book of short stories published. Oh, and also from reading lots and lots of books. These people have pushed me to grow and sharpen my writing.

Lately, as I’ve found myself in a new, more settled season of life, I’ve grown to love writing even more. More than a love even, it’s become a need. Not a day goes by that I’m not writing in some form – either emails or in my laptop journal or creating a blog post.

I’ve never wanted to do anything beyond these simple things. Just the thought of trying to submit an article for publication made my chest tighten and there are few things I dread more than public speaking (which, oddly, seems to go hand-in-hand with writing). I love to write but have never wanted the trappings of being an actual writer.

But one evening this summer in Seattle, I took a leisurely walk with David, admiring the houses and quirky gardens in Ballard, standing in Sunset Park looking out over the sparkling blue water, and inside myself I a felt a shift. I saw my life stretching out before me, and in my life I was a writer.

For the first time ever that thought didn’t give me feelings of panic. It made me peaceful and happy. It fit like a glove.

That’s all I have to tell you today. Just that I want to be a writer. I think maybe I’m already a writer. I don’t even know what exactly that means, just that it’s part of me. Not the whole of me – but an important part. It’s been a private wish I’ve carried close in my heart all these years and now I’m sharing it with you.

The Nester does a 31 Day Writing Challenge every October, and I’ve decided to participate this year. You think up a topic and post about it every day for 31 days. If this sounds daunting to you, it does for me too, but I’ll share a secret: I’ve been working on this project for a couple of weeks. I have the whole outline and many of the posts written. I don’t think that’s cheating because I’ve still been writing almost every day.

If I’m going to ask you to read 31 posts of anything I want to be thoughtful about it and do the best I can. The nerdy part of me has been as happy with this project as when I wrote literary analysis papers back in college. I’ve scattered in some recipes and resources throughout the month so you won’t get bogged down with words.

My topic is 31 Days of Purposeful Simplicity. On Wednesday I’ll tell you what that means. Happy reading!