Feeding my Addiction

Very interesting prompt popped up at the Blogher site asking the question Is blogging writing?

As I read a few of the posts I ran across one that raised the question of Where have all those bloggers gone?

I suppose I could be considered one of the missing. I am not lost, just in a very different place than previous. Not only with my career (what a laugh) path, but with my writing spirit. I feel that I jumped the shark somehow and now that shark is no where to be found.

I am reading this lovely book of short stories called The Springs of Affection - Stories of Dublin by Maeve Brennan. Now that is writing! I have only just begun but each story so far is like a tiny snapshot of life, an incident retold with a simple poignant clarity.

Then I was in the Goodwill Bookstore feeding my addiction and ran across The New York Times best selling author, The Pioneer Woman's memoir for $4.99. I thumbed through a few pages and immediately thought of Maeve Brennan and placed the book back atop the shelf for someone else.

My time is too precious.

But it begs the question, is this not what all bloggers are striving for? To be that Pioneer Woman? To be plucked from absolute obscurity by the hand of God and made into a TV star, a NY Times best seller and to make tons of money writing a blog? She is the most successful case I know of, I'm certain there are others. Like Waiters Rant (now that is some good writing!!).

But then there is the 99% of the rest of us who are just compelled to write because we have to. Something inside of us has to get out! We are compelled to write it down, commit it to paper and examine the soul.

Anyway, it's disheartening that I no longer feel the fierce need.

But I am encouraged that that need is still alive, just lurking.