Beginning Again

I am ready to start blogging again after taking an extended break to finish working on my middle grade novel and finish some other projects. Not that I ever really stopped, I only stopped writing about observing. I was surprised to find that I missed the writing. Although writing the blog was time-consuming, it often helped me clarify my thoughts.

 After initially choose the title of this blog - josobservations, I questioned why I had chosen something so long and forgettable. I planned to write primarily about writing and writers. However, I sometimes strayed away from that limiting premise. An art exhibit isn’t writing, but I find all creativity is inspiring.

After I started thinking about writing my blog again, I realized that I did want to discuss a variety of subjects, primarily still connected to writing, creativity, inspiration, etc. I promise I won’t write about what I had for breakfast, unless it was amazing.

I am lucky that I was able to earn a living with my writing. I wrote for a newspaper while going to college and later freelanced for several newspapers and an aviation magazine. There I wrote features and a monthly column. For a few years, most of my writing was in business. 

Then I returned to journalism, writing for a daily newspaper, The Cumberland Times-News and winning several awards.   Next, I wrote about business and tourism in Mountain Maryland for the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce. Recently I have been trying my hand at fiction.

I do still love non-fiction and admit I enjoyed journalism for its variety. I might cover a government meeting, explain an educational budget, or be paid to have fun at a festival, as long as I wrote about it. I liked writing about a program that helped seniors pay for their medicines or about Special Olympians conquering the slopes.

As a writer, I held a bear cub, went into a deep coalmine, climbed through a children’s play area in a new Burger King, went into the woods with a Search and Rescue crew and flew in a glider. Many articles were educational, at least for me, if not for my readers. Some stories, I wrote through tears.

Like most writers, I also like to read and may share my thoughts on certain books. In addition, I like to learn and am interested in hearing from others. What have you read, written or learned?

So now, I am a blogger again. I won’t promise to be as consistent as many others (I envy them), but I will try to write often. So here I am and here I will be next week. I hope you enjoy reading these blogs as much as I enjoy writing them.