31 Days Of Diva, Day 1: Holy Crap, What Am I Doing?

While I love to write, I'm not exactly known for my speed. I average about 2 blogs per month and most of the time, I'm okay with that. But lately, it's starting to feel like a problem.

When I read about something crazy or have an intense life experience,I immediately want to write about it. It doesn't take a lot to get me fired up about something that I care about, and when my mind is racing my writing always starts out strong and passionate. Which is a good, right? Well not exactly, because just as I'm really getting on a roll and gaining momentum, neurosis kicks in and I turn into a pacing, anxious, sweaty "should I use 'an' or 'the' because if I don't get it right, this whole blog will suck" bumbling, self-editing mess. Basically, my nerves get the best of me and I end up tossing the whole idea. Or worse, I have a really great idea that actually comes to fruition, but it comes two weeks later when no one cares about the issue anymore (since the average adult American has the attention span of a drunk toddler) because I lingered just a little too long. Case in point, one of my blogs about an issue that I feel strongly about. Because it was such a personal issue for me, I wanted it to be just right and I was especially picky about it. Actually, I wanted it to be perfect. And while I love how this blog eventually turned out, I took too much time mulling it over while a billion other non-personal, watered down versions were plastered all over the virtual pages of The Huffington Post. I'm not delusional enough to think that could have been me HuffPosting it up, but damn it, it could have been me Huffposting it up. You know what I mean. And I don't know if it's having a busy life or possibly having adult ADD, but when it comes to thinking on my toes I....well. Don't. So I started thinking that I needed something that would help me get my act together and basically scare my thoughts into obedience, and I came up with a possible solution. A challenge.

For the month of July (31 days) I am going to post a blog every day, in hopes that my over-analyzing, painstaking, one-woman Woody Allen impersonation will end. But because 31 days is a whole lot of me, I'm going to break up the month with one guest blog per week (because, amazingly, I was able to scrounge up four very talented people who were willing to have their name associated with mine for all of eternity on the internet). Some of the blogs will be shorter than what I usually write (see above Re: 31 days is a whole lot of me) and there's a good chance that I will be writing about something completely off-the-wall at 11:52 AM in a blind, sweaty panic trying to make my daily deadline. I know that an online challenge isn't exactly the world's most original idea, as half of my Facebook friend list has attempted some form of music/photography/yoga-twice-a-day challenge. But I'm not looking for originality, I'm looking for discipline. And I'm hoping that this experience will help me think (and write) on my toes more, which I think would be beneficial for any field of writing that I may eventually (read: hopefully) wind up in. And of course, I hope that the whole world (insofar as all of the lovely people who read this blog) won't get completely tired of me and feel nothing but relief when my crazy shenanigans come to an end.

Did I mention that I'm terrified? Terrified that I'll be boring, or repetitive, or just in a perpetual state of sweaty, anxious fear for the entire month of July. But I'm determined. I will complete this challenge, or die trying. Let's just hope it doesn't come to that. 

Let's also hope that I can manage to be entertaining, engaging, and intelligent. And that if all goes well, I will NOT end up sounding like this:

Okay. Let's do this.