During the month of April last year, I participated in the A to Z Blogging Challenge - one alphabet-themed post per day (except Sundays). I had such a good time with it that I'm doing it again this year. I'm loosely organized on the theme of downsizing, minimalism, and small-home living that I've learned in 14 years of living on a small boat. I'm starting with A is for Anchoring Out, Anger-ing Out, and ending with Z is for Zout and Zwarte Peper (Dutch for salt and black pepper). Click on the A to Z logo on the lower left sidebar for links to many other bloggers participating in the challenge.
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| I don't find a blank page intimidating. In fact, I love a blank page -- so many possibilities! |
Earlier this year, fellow blogger Ellen posted thoughts on her own personality and how it shapes her writing process. It got me thinking about my own.
I'm an extrovert, intuitive, enjoy connecting disparate ideas, love openness and possibility, get bored easily, dislike structure and deadlines and details, and tend to view circumstances as situational rather than having many overarching principles. I think the most important part of a cathedral is the spire, not the foundation. In Myers-Briggs terms, I'm a ENFP. Actually, I'm very strongly E, N, and P, and near neutral on F/T, meaning I have some characteristics of an ENTP. So, what does this mean for me writing?
I love new ideas and new experiences. I'm extroverted, so I want to share them with you, and know what you think about them.
I suck at deadlines. Last year I first learned about the A to Z challenge on April 1. So I had a totally valid excuse for writing my posts on the fly just before (or in some cases, at or slightly after) the deadline. This year, I had no such excuse, but I'm writing on the fly anyway, because structure and I just don't get along. To me they're not deadlines, just due date suggestions. As for posting, even though I have good intentions, I'm just not regular in my blog updates. When I have something interesting to say (and a solid internet connection), I'll post. When I don't, you may not hear from me for weeks. I don't do structure or consistency well.
I'm a big-picture girl. If there's an unlikely connection or leap of logic, I'm probably going to find it. Or invent it. Whatever.
I get bored easily. Although Life Afloat is nominally a sailing blog, it's really a "what's-on-my-mind-right-now" blog. That means it might go off on tangents about math, cooking, history, environmental science, or the metric system at any given time, without notice.
In the final analysis, no matter what personality traits inspire it, I just like the entire blogging process. I like the connections I make through writing, I'm much richer for the things I've learned from other bloggers, and I like the fact that it forces me to sort my own thoughts. Glad you're here!
That's the beauty of a blog - you write what you want, when you want and how you want! I love reading your thoughts and sharing your sentiments. I, too, love a blank page for a fresh idea to write about. On the other hand, when I used to write a page a day in my diary, I couldn't stand it having any white space left when I finished, so I kept adding to it, using all the space I had, even sideways along he page if necessary!
ReplyDeleteLiesbet @ Roaming About – A Life Less Ordinary
ENFPs are such creative people, which I can see coming through your blog. I like that it's a whatever-is-on-your mind kind of blog. That's what makes it so interesting to me.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the shout-out :-)
Well, I'm glad you like writing because I like reading the blog! What am I going to do in May without the daily fix! - Lucy
ReplyDeleteInteresting. I wish I could be less structured, more extroverted, etc. i am a planner but it works for me. Your personality fits your Life Afloat. I've enjoyed discovering your blog and plan to keep up with your tangents. Fun!
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