Saturday, December 3, 2011

Rethinking

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I have missed blogging.  I have missed writing for an audience (I still write daily on 750words).  I have missed the personal connection with my cyber friends.  I have missed learning about myself by sharing with others.

So what has prevented me from writing?  I could say the busyness of life (teaching six different classes each week; adjusting to life as a grandmother; preparing for the holidays), but that would not be accurate.  I could say that I needed to take a break in order to recover from the life changes that I experienced this year (the loss of my mom; the birth of my first grandchild; the departure of my youngest for an apartment of her own).  But that would not be totally accurate either.  My primary reason for not blogging is because I have felt like an impostor in the book blogging world and I banished myself from the club.

Silly, I know.  But when I first started My Cozy Book Nook reading was my primary leisure activity.  And when I first discovered internet blogs, I was drawn to those that focused on books and literature.  I joined several reading challenges, and made many online friends who were more voracious readers than myself. I owe much to these bloggers as they opened my eyes to new possibilities:  new ways to connect with others - new ways to express myself - new genres of literature.

So this morning I researched the possibility of starting a new blog.  A blog where I felt comfortable sharing all aspects of my life - not just books.  Over the past two years I have experimented in several other activities that have provided me much pleasure:  photography - quilting - scrapbooking (again) - traveling - writing.  And I want to share these various aspects of me with others.

But I ran into several challenges this morning.  For some reason I could not create a new blog using Blogger with Safari 5.1.  So I rationalized that perhaps now was the time to switch to WordPress.  But all of the domain names that I wanted to use (Beautiful Butterfly - The First Day of the Rest of Your Life - Free to be Me) were already taken.  And then there was the decision whether to pay for self-hosting or not.  I'm just not sure I am ready for that learning challenge at this moment in life.

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I was more confused than when I started the research, so I decided to take a shower.  I do some of my best thinking in the shower and the thought came to me:  I could still use My Cozy Book Nook for this new blog direction.  Reading has not been eliminated from my life, it just isn't the sole focus of my life anymore.  And many of the activities that I currently pursue - often take place in the Nook (it is now my craft space as well as reading room).

I know many of you have encouraged to me to do this for quite some time - but for some reason I held on to the artificial boundaries that I had set.  So I thank you --- for your patience while I learned that this blog truly is for me and whatever I choose to make it.

So I am back.  The posts will probably be rather eclectic and may not always resonate with you, my readers of the past, but they will be honest and they will chronicle the rediscovery of me.  It's funny.  This blog began on December 9, 2008.  It is now reborn on December 3, 2011.  A lot has happened in these three years, and I am quite excited to see what the next several years have in store.

20 comments:

  1. I am happy to see you go in this new direction, so that I can know more about you! The best book recommendations come from friends, and friendship (even cyber-friendship) implies a level of knowing and caring. Looking forward to your future posts! Annie

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  2. Yay, I'm so glad to see you back! I think some of the most interesting blogs have more than one focus and I have no doubt yours will be wonderful!

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  3. Have fun going in whatever direction you want, Molly! I did the same kind of shift and it all worked out fine. Go for it and blog about whatever you want!!

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  4. Molly - thanks for the link to 750 words - I joined :) Re: the new direction of your blog - I don't see any reason why you need a new blog at all. I have branched out on my book blog to make it more eclectic...and that seems to be working great. I share my quilting, my animals, occasional travel stuff...still tons of book content, but I think you can do whatever you want with your blog.

    Re: the title - you can always change the title without changing the blog address (I think blogger allows this). So you will retain your current blog address, but you can make your title header anything you want. Make sense?

    I've missed you! Hope now that you have a new focus, we'll hear more from you!!!

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  5. Welcome back Molly. We've missed you. It's so good to hear your voice again - and that's what your blog is all about - your voice. It doesn't matter if you tell us about the books you've read, or haven't read. Our conversations can be about anything. I think your blog's new direction sounds great. I'm looking forward to more.

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  6. I am glad to see you back! The blogs I like the most are the ones where I get a sense of who the blogger is! By sharing all of your hobbies with us we get to know much more about you. The great thing about blogging is there is no right or wrong. Do whatever makes you happy!

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  7. Welcome back. Your blog is about you. Doesn't matter what the title is. And like Wendy said, you can always change the title. Beside I hate wordpress. Blogger is so much easier :) Look forward to your posts.

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  8. Yay! It sounds like you have a great plan. Your life sounds very full of wonderful things and I look forward to hearing about them!

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  9. I was thinking about you just the other day. People come and go over the years in the book blogging world. Some move on to more general blogs. I see no problem with this or with keeping your blog name here when you do. You can change the name at the top of your page you know. I'm not sure how this is done, but I see lots of blogs with one name on the page and a different one in the URL bar.

    And I for one am glad to have you back. I'm always hoping to hear more about Paris.

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  10. And THIS is why I have missed blogging. How delightful it has been to hear from such wonderful friends! Thank you so much for caring enough to comment --- it is good to be back!

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  11. Welcome back, Molly. I've missed reading your words and am glad to see you again.

    As a rather eclectic blogger myself, I think you should write about what you want. Keep you blog name. Of course, keep it and enjoy the growth and directions you take.

    Enjoy.

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  12. Welcome back! And just be whatever you want to be. Readers will either be there or they won't. Either way, what does it matter to you? Writing what makes you happy is what should count.

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  13. Yay! Happy to see you back. And I totally think it's a great idea to use your blog space for what you want to use it for. I look forward to hearing all about your hobbies and reading your blog. :)

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  14. You're back! I've missed you, Molly. I was wondering if you were going through such a hard time that you couldn't blog, and hoping that you would be able to come back to us. Since I have been in and out this year with my own trials this year, I understand when life calls us away, and how comforting it is to return to blogging afterward.

    You know I enjoy it when you blog about any and all of your interests! You always end up teaching me something when you share what you love.

    I hope you have a very merry Christmas with your new grandchild, Molly, and that you have some lovely memories of your mother to help you through the holidays.

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  15. Wishing you well with the new direction.

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  16. I could have sworn I left a comment here yesterday, oh well. It's so good to have you back, Molly, and I look forward to reading anything you choose to write. I do my best thinking in the shower, too... and also while drying my hair. Love the new look!!

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  17. I love the new look, and your excitement. I've had similar issues with blogging; I'm a writer, but hey, I don't want to write about "how to write a query letter." I'm a scrapbooker, but I'm also a children's librarian, a student of the Enneagram, the wife of a recreational pilot--there are so many possible blog posts, there. Many different directions I could take. I read once that it's okay to change directions. Readers will stay with you, or they won't, but you, at least, will still be writing about your deepest passions. If I read someone's blog, it's because I'm interested in them as a person. I want to know what they think, and how they feel, about things.

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  18. Molly - first, I've missed you! This was a good start into my Sunday, to see this new blog of yours, all your changes and TO HAVE YOU BACK. Good for you for these new steps that you are taking. I have known those atificial boundaries, and they still limit me from time to time, so I think I have a feeling what it is like for you right now. I can only say - go for it! You won't have any regrets, and I look forward to "meet" you on this journey.

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  19. Love to see you back and love your new blog look! You have been missed for sure. I struggled with who I was with my blog this year too. When I started it was all about books for me--but now? I am a grandma too, and I knit and have even started back with some sewing. I still read, quite a bit, but maybe not quite as voraciously as before. Working full time sure cuts into my "fun" time! :)
    *smiles*

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  20. Bare with me as I SLOWLY make my way through your posts. I'm glad you decided to stick with this blog Molly and hope that you'll continue to feel you can share all of your endeavors with us.

    I've been going through a similar transformation on my blog and while I still feel bad when I go too long without blogging about something bookish, I've found that the established audience is really supportive about all of those things (many of the same interests you mentioned--sewing, photography, cooking, etc).

    Welcome back and don't feel like an impostor. I think you'll find that many of us "book bloggers" are widening our scope these days.

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