Shifting Gears

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

Albert Einstein? Al-Anon? Bernard Shaw? Harold P. Schwartz? 

No one is quite sure who said it, but it’s the truth, regardless of the author.

The dog barks when the UPS truck pulls up. We yell at the dog. The dog keeps barking. (The dog is smarter than we are because once the brown van is gone, he stops barking because he thinks his barking chased it away) The next time we get a delivery, the dog barks – we yell – the dog keeps barking. We are insane. 

As I think about this, I’m not sure it applies to what I’m about to announce, but it was fun.

I may be crazy that way, but I’m not completely insane.

I’m at least sane enough to know when it’s time to shift gears. I have felt the God-nudge … okay, maybe several over the last few weeks … enough to make me stop and realize I’m trying to reach 60 mph in second gear. 

That’s a roundabout way of saying I’m about to change the focus of this blog. 

What it’s been …

Since the beginning of the year, we’ve been on a journey here – the journey of your choosing toward authenticity, whatever that looks like for you. Each week I’ve posted an essay on a leg of that journey, which we’ve then discussed in our Facebook community. 

The interactions on FB have been deep and delightful. There’s life there.

The blog, on the other hand, hasn’t drawn us together in the same way, perhaps because we’re already doing that so successfully elsewhere. Hopefully the posts have served you from time to time. I’ve totally enjoyed writing them. But according to Albert or Bernard or Harold (okay, Harold P. Schwartz is not an actual person; he’s our family’s default when we don’t know who said some famous thing), it would be a little bit of insanity to continue in the same way and think one day I’ll discover we’ve gone viral. 

What it will be from here on, and why …

Everything I’ve ever done in my career as a teacher, author, mentor and blogger has come under the umbrella of Authenticity. It’s getting crowded under this brolly, and the things that wear the T-shirts saying, Do Me Now Before … are elbowing some other things toward the edges. 

The Do Me Nows are all related to writing. Being a writer. Encouraging writers. Leading writers. Helping writers find their authenticity. Living a writerly life. More being a writer.

So it only makes sense moving forward to allow this blog to transform into a site for those who want to live their most authentic writerly life. 

I won’t be telling writers how to write. Nobody can do that, actually. I’ll just provide a place for any writer of the female persuasion (whatever the origin of that!) to find encouragement and be inspired to shape their dreams, their stories, their careers, their lives – and a means of interacting with me and with other Scribbling Women.

What’s not going to happen …

• This won’t take the place of the Scribbling Women Facebook Group or any other SW activities. What happens here will be for the Scribblies, yes, but will also be open to ANY woman who writes. Not everyone has the time or the inclination to join the group. 

• This won’t eliminate the authenticity journey. That will continue on https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100081778060133..

Second gear …

Next week we’ll talk about The Scribbling Woman video podcast which will be directly linked to this new blog. Meanwhile, thank you, those of you who have followed the journey here. If you’re not a writer, I’ll see you on Facebook. If you are, you’re in the right place!

Until then …

Scribble On!

Nancy Rue