Welcome to Day 14 of a 31 day challenge to write 500 words or more. For more on that click here: goinswriter.com
I’m finding that my brain usually falls into one of three states concerning what to write about:
- Barebrain: I sit down to write and I’ve got nada. Zilch. My observation about this is that something will come IF I am motivated to force it. However the likelihood that I skip that day increases when I don’t have a direction.
- Scatterbrain: Lots of potential ideas but nothing that I am drawn to or excited about. My observation is similar to Barebrain . . . “meh”.
- Compulsivebrain: I have an idea (hallelujah). I’m excited about it. I’m fleshing it out. I start writing and maybe finish a post but lose interest quickly.
I think that (for me) the idea of WHAT to write about is too connected to the actual event of writing about it. Somewhere in my head I have convinced myself that creating a piece is all one action. I’m hopelessly impatient. I have an idea . . . quick, write it . . . put the pictures in . . . hit publish . . . track the stats.
Slow down there junior. I pride myself on being “big picture” and yet in this, somehow I am zoomed way in.
So here’s a starting place . . .
MY LIST OF THINGS TO WRITE ABOUT
ONE: Expat Rhythms
Exploring the idea that expat life moves in cycles. Transition happens over and over. People come in and go out. There are rhythms of hello’s and goodbyes. Rhythms of travel. Rhythms of of relationship. However when we don’t recognize the rhythms we only feel the chaos.
TWO: Destination Limbo
For cross cultural people there are always “in between times.” Time spent waiting on a visa, packing things up and getting ready for what’s next. We spend significant amounts of time disconnected from the last thing and not yet connected to the next. Those add up. So how can we see those times as valuable? Important, not simply because of what they mean later but what they mean right now.
THREE: Rootfulness
I actually bought the domain name for this in a Compulsive brain moment. I want to shatter the idea that growing up cross culturally dooms children to a life with no roots. The roots are different to be sure . . . not as deep but far more numerous. I love the idea that TCK’s can replant anywhere. That takes roots.
FOUR: Bright Green Kids
Built on the framework of the Whitni Thomas poem. “I’m blue. I live in Yellow. Why can’t I just be green?” Similar (or connected to rootfulness) I have big plans for this one but it overwhelms me because I can’t quite seem to zero in and get started. The bigness of it paralyzes me because I want to do it justice but “starting somewhere” feels like it won’t. I need a plan.
FIVE: Imperfection
This one is the most vulnerable for me. I’m only now realizing my own, confusing struggle with perfectionism (sloppy as it may be). Part of my issue is that I want to write with authority on any topic I write about but the layers of irony here are deep. My perfection cancer keeps telling me I should write something really good about imperfection. See my dilemma. I think this is the one that I write about so I can learn about myself. Embrace the therapy Jerry. Embrace the therapy.
My next five “500 Words” Posts will be expanding on each of these five topics. Boom. See that? I have a plan. This is working already.
And those are my 500 words.
