Author Reflections & Aspirations

I’ve been writing for as long as I remember. In high school I remember the frustration of having to “force-fit” my writing into the structured rules and expectations of my teachers. I remember the joy of writing as I wanted to and sorrow of feeling like it “wasn’t any good”. In college I studied biology and chemistry – not much creative writing there!  Writing was a hobby, a way that I processed my thoughts and experiences. Until I published my book in December 2020, I didn’t share much of my writing publicly. 

Since then, I have been growing in the discipline of writing and sharing my writing more. Last January I shared a post titled “Purpose & Resolve” where I reflected on the changing, but consistent role of writing in my life. I shared my purpose in writing and my goals for that year for both writing and for my blog.

Now, one year later, I re-visited that post and witness how I have grown. The goals I set for 2024 were to prioritize writing on a weekly basis and to increase the frequency of sharing my writing on my blog. I wanted to focus less on the number of comments and views individual posts received. Instead, I hoped to write from my heart and what I felt led to write. Throughout this past year I was much more disciplined about making time to write each week. Often, I had more than one piece in process at a time. I posted 51 times on my blog in 2024, a big increase from 38 the previous year.

Looking back at those 51 posts I am pleased with the variety. I write a lot of reflections on scripture and what I’m learning. I also write pieces that center around personal stories and memories and how they impact me now. My poetry tends to be focused on feelings and the inner journey of working through struggles or celebrating the rewards of love and relationships. But I had some different kinds of pieces this year too. I took some risks this year in what I shared and that felt good. What stands out the most as I look back at the posts from this past year, is how much I enjoyed writing. As I take time to read some of what I wrote I am reminded again of how important it is to take time to reflect on all that we learn as we go through the joys and challenges of life.

Here is a list of a few of my personal favorites from 2024:

“Faith that Protects You” – a reflection on how faith is defined in scripture and how it is what stands between our spirit and the doubt and questions that come towards us. The revelation I share here continues to have a big impact on me.

“Emotional Hit & Run” – I would describe this piece as raw and a bit angry. It is a free-form poetry piece that explores the complexity of forgiving someone who “fled the scene”. It felt vulnerable and risky to share this, but I know I’m not the only one who deals with these strong emotions.

“Reflecting on 50 Years” – I turned 50 this past March and I wrote 50 things I’ve learned. This was the product of some rich time of reflection and celebration. It was a challenge to write and as I re-read it now, it challenges me again to continue to learn, grow and become increasingly strong, free and fulfilled.

“Seed” – This imaginative little poem is a favorite of mine. It is simple and fun to me, capturing the wonder of potential.

“Grandma & Her Garden” and “Easter Memories in a Country Church” – I sometimes write pieces that start with memories from my childhood and how they continue to teach me and impact my life now. These are two of my favorites of that kind of post from this year.

“Lisa Bird” – This began in the first minutes of waking up one morning. I must have been dreaming about flying…. I write what I would enjoy if I were a bird! I had fun finding a picture online of a bird that felt “like me” as I looked at it.

Here are the Top 5 Posts Based on Number of Views:  While view numbers are not my main marker of success, it is interesting to see what catches peoples’ attention most

“Purpose & Resolve”

This was my first post of 2024, where I shared the role of writing in my life, as well as my purpose and goals for growing as an author in 2024.

“Invitation”

This was another post that felt like a risk to share. I wrote it after a spiritual encounter, in which I felt “invited” by the presence of peace to view my life from a different perspective. This was a favorite of mine as well.

“Faith that Protects You”

I wrote this reflection on faith’s role in April. As I shared above, this was one of the most impactful revelations of my year and one of my personal favorite writings.

“Love Already Won”

This poem was originally written for my husband. I shared it, with his blessing in February. I wanted to give voice to the choice to love.

“A Gentle Correction of My Understanding”

This piece explores two of my favorite promises in scripture and how they interconnect. I share how I realized I had been misinterpreting them and the way my thinking was aligned with truth. This is one I need to read and re-read often!

Looking Ahead:

For the coming year, I hope to continue to keep writing weekly a priority. I am continually challenged to live from a sense of purpose and less from the demands that are placed on me in the moment. I want to continue to grow as a writer and become increasingly confident in sharing my writing. My motivation is from within myself and in my sense of purpose and calling. It is not just another task on my list of things to accomplish each week. There is no accountability, outside of myself and very little external reward. Most of the time I am unaware of the impact of my writing and yet it is deeply fulfilling. I believe that I will become increasingly efficient and effective in other areas of my life as I continue to pursue this aspect of who I am created to be.