What kind of writer am I?

This is one of those posts that won't have an accompanying picture. Or maybe it will have one, in the middle, but I haven't decided to put one in yet. The point is, this is a post that I am choosing to write without the self-induced guilt of having to create a really pretty, inspirational picture or graphic to go with it that will make it pin-able or interesting to people who are forgetting how to read. If you like pictures and are feeling judged right now, don't worry, I like pictures, too. But sometimes they scare me away from writing because I think no one will read my work without pictures, which seems silly but is a real fear.

I've been thinking a lot lately about what kind of blogger I am. Scratch that. I've been thinking about what kind of writer I am. This is bigger than just the blogosphere. This is about my craft, my art, my purpose in life. There have been quite a few moments these last few weeks where I've been scribbling out my editorial calendar, brainstorming post ideas and one or two new series to try, and I suddenly realize that I don't have to create posts I'm not interested in just because other people are. I should be writing in my style, in my voice, out of my own heart instead of trying to be like other people so that people will like me and my work.

For instance, I don't have to do a St. Patrick's Day post where I teach you how to make a cake shaped like a shamrock. I don't really have much of an interest in St. Patrick's Day, except that I want to go to Ireland one day and I like dark beers. I can leave the posts that teach you holiday-themed crafts to the experts, like this girl. She's fabulous. My idea of St. Patrick's Day is to watch P.S I Love You, because it's got an Irish theme,  and then I'll go to the local pub with my husband, and get a Nitro Milk Stout, not even a Guinness (!) because I like Left Hand Brewery better. And I probably won't write about it. And that's okay.

Instead of feeling guilty that I am not fitting some idyllic mold for a blogger, I just want to write my way. I want to write offline, too. I want to write in a journal, I want to write on my laptop in a cafe without internet, I want to write on loose leaf paper in the reading room of a grandiose library, where the only noise is pages turning and soft whispers. And someday, I want to publish a book. Maybe even two.

So this question what kind of writer am I? is accompanied by where did my voice go? and am I a part of the right community?

I'd really like to spend some time this week exploring these questions with you. I hope this doesn't bother you, I really do. I know that sometimes reading blogs is just what we do on our breaks from work, and we don't have/feel we have/want to take the time to read the long and heavy stuff. We just want to scroll and see some pretty pictures that remind us of life outside of this office we're seemingly trapped in. And if you're in that space, that is totally fine. I've been there.

But I know that there are those of us who are questioning our life goals and passions and dreams, and are waiting to be called up to action. We are sitting around saying, I am made for more than this life I'm living. In that case, let's explore our lives and our passions and talents together this week, and see if we can't remember why we love them, and discover a new way to pursue them, whether people get it or not.

If I'm learning one lesson lately it's that you have to fight with a ferocity for what you want in life, that those dream jobs and passions you want to follow will easily slip out of your hands and into someone else's if you don't take hold of them now and yell, I WILL NOT LET THIS GO!

Let's give it a shot, shall we?