I’m not usually influenced by WordPress’ Daily Post, preferring to do my own thing. But this post on writing really caught my eye. I have always preferred to express myself in writing, and really enjoyed writing creatively at school. But writing was always one of those things that I thought about rather than did (alongside exercise and eating more veggies as it happens!)
What does this have to do with being an expat you may ask?
Well, when I moved to Brunei and no longer had any of the excuses that I used to have for not writing – no free time being the main one – I decided I should finally do something about it. I was out here for two years before I stopped thinking about it and wrote my first word of fiction, when the words forced themselves out of my fingers. And, although it felt strange at first, the more I wrote the more I wanted to write and the more ideas I had.
Writing became a way of challenging myself, as well as something I love doing. I mostly write short stories, and love the fact that each one can be completely different although for some reason they nearly all feature food!
I’ve had many periods of inactivity since I started; getting pregnant completely addled my brain, and the fact that this is a response to Thursday’s writing prompt shows how little time I have for myself with a demanding four-month-old to look after. I started this blog as a way to keep on writing, something to motivate me to spend even an hour a week writing something. I find that blogging is the only thing I can manage at the moment, but can’t wait to get back to writing short stories I had my first story published last month in Ariadne’s Thread, although I am still waiting for my copy to arrive in Brunei!
Being an expat gives you the freedom to try new things; I only wish that I had started sooner. What does writing mean to you? Why do you blog? I would love to hear your thoughts…
secretsofatrailingspouse 
Writing gives me the opportunity to think. I put words on paper almost every morning because I have to figure out what is swirling around in my head. Sometimes i muddle things further when I write, but often I am coming to clarity.
As for blogging – I blog to connect and share. Our stories mean something to us but they can mean something to someone else as well.
I agree that connecting with others is the best thing about blogging and something that I hadn’t anticipated being such a big part of it before I got started. I’ve discovered so many great sites that I might never have found had I not begun my own blog.