I hate writing blogs…but hear me out!

My childhood wasn’t special. 

Thanks to my parents’ shenanigans, I grew up like a ball being juggled between two households and it wasn’t always the best of times. 

I was surrounded by a lot: extra siblings, extra family members, extra wealth, extra pretentiousness, extra egos…but everything always felt out of reach. I always faded to the background like being stuck on a tiny island surrounded by water but occasionally called out to sea by the mirage of a lifeboat.

In these moments, I found joy in my words. I hid in the corner of a room with a pencil and paper and created endless worlds, real friends, fake enemies, toxic relationships, indescribable feelings…I always just let things flow. It felt easy.

And since I was always under constant supervision, I hid my true emotions in my poems, in my stories, and in my musings. I couldn’t afford the luxury of a draft wind ‘mistakenly’ opening my clearly labelled personal journal or a diary, so I disguised my secrets openly in a boring but typical school notebook. 

Thankfully, my secret world became a way for me to earn a living. I remember writing every single day and loving it. My first job was at a finishing school as a wannabe writer/PR person in a very junior position with very senior KPIs. 

Day in, and day out, I always looked like a harassed chicken who was about to lose its head because I could never keep up. However, I enjoyed the part of the job when I could write fictional case study stories for the programs. Another highlight of my day was composing introduction letters to prospective clients, acceptance or rejection letters to potential students, or the occasional strongly-worded letters to media houses. 

Then 2012 happened.

I came across a blog that I really cared about called Urban Bush Babes (I was looking for solutions to my unruly, rebellious hair back then. Yes, my hair is still unruly and rebellious). I found a few more about art and lifestyle (for the young adult living in a huge city) and became obsessed but after a while, it started to feel like once you’ve read one blog, you’ve probably read all the other blogs. 

They always felt so unnecessarily long, winded, and similar. As a fellow casual thesaurus reader, I could detect fluff from a mile away and would immediately lose interest. The worst was when blogs would rip each other off and I would think: Wait! Didn’t I just see this paragraph three websites ago? 

I wondered why it was so hard so I tried writing a few blogs but immediately sucked at it. This moment revealed something to me: I knew that I would never ever offer to write a blog. Luckily, I have never had the horror of officially writing any blogs…yet. 

So naturally, my easily bored and distracted mind slowly stopped caring about blogs after a while. However, I did what any self-respecting writer would do: silently judge every other blog I see. 

Fast forward over 10 years later, I have a career in copywriting which I still enjoy. However, the industry has slowly sucked the life out of my passion for my first love: fictional writing. Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I wrote a story that warmed the hidden cockles of my heart. 

Don’t get me wrong, my mind and dreams still bombard me with ideas but I always do myself a favour to write them down and then mentally pencil them in for the expected long-ass procrastination. I also do this so that I can make space in my small head for the madness of everyday life. 

Last week, I tried to get back into my pre-adulthood creative writing flow and my pencil literally laughed at me. Well, I deserved it too because what I wrote was just…just…

There were so many cobwebs tangled in my words that I couldn’t find my voice. 

So, I have decided to do something drastic and unthinkable: write a blog. 

As much as I hate blogging, this might be the only way to unwrap the linen off my mummified skills and get back to the art of writing stories and pieces that I enjoy. 

I tried to make a few rules for myself but then I laughed and remembered the kind of pointless rebel I can be…

Sometimes, I break rules for fun. Especially when there are no stakes, I break them even harder. 

I guess the only thing I’m going to really try sticking to is infusing my personality. 

This means whether I write about “5 Reasons You Need A Copywriter” or about “Why Pesto is so Overrated (until you try to make your own)”, I promise to make it mine. 

No boring lists. 

No usual expert language. 

Maybe a cuss word every blue moon. 

Some of it will be good and some of it will definitely be terrible. But you will get to see my growth. We’ll see. 

People who say “The only way out, is through”, have never seen me read or write a blog. It will feel like gently ripping out my fingernails bit by bit, but I know it will be worth it. 

And since you’re reading this, you’re unofficially consenting to be my witness to this tall promise, whether you like it or not. Upside: There might be a little schadenfreude in it for you. 

At the end of the day, I’m a copywriter who hates writing blogs. What could go wrong?