Allow Me To Introduce Myself

Hello again, and welcome! If you are here for the first time, I am so glad to have you! If you are a returning visitor, thank you for returning! I still feel as though I am shouting into the void, my thoughts and words spiraling into space and time. I know my first post, Never Again (https://keyboardsandcrayons.blogspot.com/2018/02/never-again.html), was controversial, but not everything I want to say is a barn burner, I promise. Sometimes, though, there are things that weigh so heavily on your heart and soul that you just have to get them out or bust. I won’t promise that there won’t be more posts like that here, but I always promise to handle them with as much respect as possible.

So, I guess the big question, then, is why am I here? Well, truth be told, I’m still figuring it all out. I had a professor in college (shout out to Dr. Nolan, if you ever happen to see this) that asked me a very important question about writing, that has always shaped the way I have gone about my projects: why should I (the reader) care? That can be difficult, at best, to answer, but I’ll try. While I know I am just another nameless, faceless voice on the internet, I feel that each voice is important and has worth. Voices with differing opinions are the puzzle pieces that we use to build the world around us. We can learn and grow so much by listening (or in this case reading) what others have to say. I want this to be a space where I introduce you to my life, the ins and outs of it, both the ordinary and extraordinary, the simple and the passionate. Life comes at us so fast, but I think it’s up to us as individuals to find our own truth in it all.  I want to share my truth. I’d love to be a friendly voice in the void, in a world that can all too often be ugly.

I guess I should introduce myself first, though, right? Well, my name is Courtney. I am in my 30s, and I have been married to my wonderful hubby for almost 7 years. We have the coolest six year old ever, a beautiful little girl I’ll call Scoot. A lot of what I write these days is inspired by her, or by being her mom, but I have always loved to write. I am sure my mom has scribbles of poetry from when I was a kid, when the writing bug first bit me. I have had a long love affair with the written word, absorbing myself in reading books and writing my own stories since childhood. I have a degree in English, with a specialization in Professional Writing, which I’ve found pretty much useless where I live, and I have never formally used it. Instead, I’ve written in the shadows, for family and for the few creative writing courses I have taken. This marks the first time I have really attempted to put myself out there in any real way.

I never expected to call myself a blogger, or even write a blog, but after the Parkland massacre, my brother and I had a heart to heart. Now, my brother is one of the most pretentious, opinionated people you will ever meet, but he is also one of the most honest. When he told me that blogging was an avenue I should explore, I trusted him. If he trusts in my voice, then I’ll trust him enough to follow his advice. (I do trust him, too, as he runs his own blog, which you can find here. Check him out! wbhwords.wordpress.com).  At this point in my  life, waiting to get up the courage to write my first novel isn’t working, so it’s time to try something different. After all, being a stay at home mom provides me with the privilege to give my writing the time and attention it needs. I don’t claim to be the smartest person in any given room, or any sort of parenting guru (who is, really?) but I can promise to share my honest truth. I can promise to tell the world how I see it, and if that is helpful, then all the better. Everyone has a voice. I am learning to use mine.

I plan to cover all kinds of topics. Motherhood. Food. Day to day life. Special issues close to my heart. Things I care about. Hell, I may even hit you with some boy band love. Life is multifaceted, and I want to explore each one of those facets. Who wants to read about just one thing all the time, right? Don’t be a stranger, either. Tell me, in the comments, what your interests are. What makes YOU tick. What you want to read about, or talk about. I love feedback, because it’s the only way we grow. Let's grow this thing, together. Until next time, my friends!