Oh goody, another blog! Said no one ever.

A couple years ago, a good friend said to me, “You should really start a blog.” I responded with an extravagant eye roll and: “The world needs another white lady blog like it needs a hole in the head.”

This exchange tells you 2 things about me:

1 – I should really be nicer to my friends. Didn’t need to bite her head off, Steph!  She was trying to compliment and encourage you. A simple “thank you” would have sufficed.

2 – I’m under no delusion that my voice or my writing is crucial to society.

So why am I starting a blog when it’s at best a completely unnecessary hobby and at worst a vain exercise in self-glorification?

Short answer: Because I want to. I like writing.

Slightly less-short answer: Over the past couple years I’ve encountered numerous messages, books, articles, and conversations that in some variation ask, “What do you want to be doing that you’re not doing?” My immediate, secret mental answer is always: Writing. (I mean, my immediate answer to that question is, and always will be, sleeping. But, you know, I don’t think that’s what they mean.)

I’ve enjoyed writing for most of my life. In 4th grade I wrote a short story for a school assignment, and my teacher gave me huge praise for the creativity and language I used. From then on, I’ve gotten a thrill from using my imagination to create with words. [The only thing I can remember about that particular 4th grade story is that it was about a foreign planet made up entirely of water where everyone wore swimsuits all the time. I’m sure it was Pulitzer-worthy.]

Lately the sense that writing is one of my passions and something I should do more regularly has grown stronger, and I think about writing more and more. I’m definitely the kind of person who could overthink this, self-talk myself out of it, wait and wait and wait until I’m more “ready” to begin.

Instead I decided to just start.

So here I am. And here you are. Hi! I’m glad you’re here, and would love for you to join me as often as you like. I’m not going to act like I have a groundswell following to satisfy with my amazing writing. I’m writing because I want to, and I’ll post when I have something to write. I will be happy if people want to read it. And if they don’t, that’s OK too. I’ll try not to let my lack of instant blogging fame make me feel bad about myself.

Faith, Fiction, and Feminism

My blog title actually came to me over a year ago. When I think of the things I am most passionate about, and therefore would likely write about, they largely fall into the categories of Faith, Fiction, or Feminism. Here at the outset of my blogging journey, I’ll briefly discuss what each of these topics means to me.

Faith

I’m a Christian. That word is loaded with so much historical, political, and social angst that I’m wary to use it. But let’s push aside current events and controversy and the ugliness that some “Christians” put into the world. I am not for those people, and they don’t get to make me feel bad about being a Christian. I follow Christ. I practice the orthodox religion of Christianity. That is what I mean when I refer to my Christian faith. Jesus actually makes a difference in my life and defines a lot of who I am, so I’ll be writing about that.

Fiction

I love storytelling. Be it in books, television, movies, Hallmark commercials – a good story is one of my favorite things in life. Author John Granger wrote: “Fiction serves a religious function in a secular culture. Moderns are immunized against sacramental experience, prayer, and worship, yet still long for the transcendent, something beyond the ego. We find it… especially in novels in which the heart recognizes its reflection in a character.” Honestly, I tend to encounter more truth in the “untrue” world of fiction than in nonfiction. Stories speak to my soul, so I’ll be writing about the fiction that I love in all its forms.

Feminism

Hoo boy. If Christian is a loaded word, feminist is a nuclear word. I’m not shying away from it, though. Feminism is defined by Merriam-Webster as “the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes; organized activity on behalf of women’s rights and interests.” If you’re not on board with those two things, you probably don’t need to stick around. I doubt you’ll like what you see here. But feminism is more to me than a theory or activity. When I refer to feminism here I mean all aspects of being female. My role as a mom and a wife fall under feminism just as much as my role as a working woman, a voter, or an advocate for female church leadership. I’ll be writing about all sorts of feminine topics, and to me, that’s all feminist.

My writing style

Before I sign off, a few notes about the way I write…

Disclaimers – I have come to realize that I compulsively use disclaimers, especially in writing when the “conversation” is void of personal context and nonverbal cues. I desperately want to be understood and not to cause unnecessary offense. And I think the deeper reason is to preemptively judge myself in order to undercut others’ (often hypothetical) judgment. I’m usually saying, “See? I’m totally aware of my flaws. I’m pointing them out in a jocular manner before you can point them out and make me feel small.” So be prepared for compulsive disclaimers. (And, yes, the savvy reader will recognize this paragraph, really this whole section, as one large disclaimer. I did warn you.)

Grammar – I like long, complex sentences, parenthetical interjections (because sometimes you have a thought within a thought), and Oxford commas. I strongly believe in using adverbs generously. In college I took a class called “Advanced Grammar and Syntax,” and I LOVED it. I have a pretty strong grip on proper English grammar, but I don’t always follow the rules. For instance, I tend to often split infinitives, but I’ve come to just not care about that very much. There is absolutely no rhyme or reason for when I spell out a number or use its symbol, or for when I use the word “and” or an ampersand. And occasionally I like to use incomplete sentences and fragments. For emphasis.

(If none of those words made any sense to you, don’t worry. I’m only judging you a tiny bit in my head.)

Hyperbole – Sometimes I might slightly over- or under-exaggerate for humor’s effect. Maybe don’t take everything I say too seriously.

Foul language – I once described my fluency in profanity: “I swear with the alacrity of an especially hedonistic sailor.” This might surprise people who know me only on a professional or superficial level, but I assure you that my close friends and peers will find this description accurate AF. However, I will endeavor to use foul language sparingly in my writing, especially since my mom might be the only person who reads this. Or maybe she won’t even read it. Which is fine. No pressure, Mom!

Endings – I’m not great at them.