Treasure hunt

What does this blog represent to me? I liked Heather's sandbox analogy, but the same does not hold true for me. While I hope to someday be as confident as Heather in my knowledge, in my opinions and in the words I choose to express them, I'm not there yet.

So I search for a good analogy.

A bridge, perhaps? A bridge that crosses from the island of my mind to the shore of a greater audience.

But any writing will do that, not just this blog. What differentiates this blog from any other writing I might do?

To answer that question, let me first explore what I hope to accomplish with this blog.

• With this blog I hope to reclaim thoughts, opinions and words of my own.
• With this blog, I hope to discern what goes on around me and learn to convey what it means to me in a clear, interesting and evocative way.
• With this blog, I hope to learn to write in such a way that I provoke some response--any response--from my readers.
• With this blog, I hope to push through my fear of putting ME "out there," risking judgment and negative feedback.
• With this blog, I hope to develop a stronger belief in myself and confidence in my reclaimed thoughts, opinions and words.
• With this blog, I hope to recognize my voice and learn how to strengthen it.
• With this blog, I hope to become a better writer.

Okay, so now that I know what I hope to accomplish with this blog, what might be a good analogy?

A map, perhaps?

No, that doesn't work. While I have clear start and end points, I don't have finite points in beween at which I need to stop. At least, that's not how I think of this blog. I plan to do more meandering here, always seeking the ultimate treasure but, in the meantime, enjoying the little surprises that I find along the way.

Hmmm...Seeking the ultimate treasure, but enjoying the little surprises along the way...

THAT'S IT! I've got my analogy!

My blog is a treasure hunt.

I'm starting with little more than my desire to write and earn a living through writing. With each entry, I learn a little more about myself, about what works in my writing and what doesn't. These are the little surprises that I will find--that I already am finding--as I seek my ultimate treasure.

While I also get to play with words as I post to this blog, it's playing with a purpose. And each post that yields some sort of discovery, be it personal or writing-related, means I've found one of the symbols on my treasure map, and that means I'm one step closer to my treasure.

However, it's up to me to recognize and acknowledge each reward and to understand how it ties in with each lesson I've learned before. Only then can I continue on this fantastic quest for that elusive spot marked X...the treasure: me, a writer earning a comfortble living through writing.