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I am very intrigued with this prompt. I read through Michele’s models and she seems to have found a clear focus and purpose to include the comments.

I wonder what I will be able to do as I look back.

It’s a cool opportunity to walk down blog-comment-memory -lane.

So here I go: What will attract me?

I read through most of my comments and began to copy and paste the longer, more reflective responses. Many of them came from our March month of Sharing Slices of the Day Challenge and and this most recent challenge.

Stacie, Lynn and Christy share their early memories of blogging, responding to a post I wrote for our Slice of Life Challenge on Tuesdays. There is something so wonderfully honest and open about this sharing; this sense of online community.

GirlGriot | 

The thing I’ve really liked about all the blog writing I’ve done since I started in the winter is that it’s forcing me to acknowledge that I really do have time for writing. I’m always complaining about not being able to ‘find’ time for my writing because I’m so busy with my work and everything else. And, ok, it’s true that I do have a lot of work, but I have time for writing, too. The slice of life challenge really pushed me, made me see that I could squeeze in bits of writing time all over the place.

I’m a writer, and I’m always happiest when I write every day, but it’s so easy not to write every day. I bring myself to my blog every day, though, and really make an effort to post regularly. So it makes me think I’ve just been making excuses when I say I don’t have time to work on my stories, makes me wonder what’s the real reason for not working on my writing … The daily practice of writing here is good for my brain, though, keeps my writer-mind limber.

Lynnjake | 

I can so relate to your early blogging experiences, Bonnie. In January I started a new blog, having decided that I wanted to go public with some issues I had been thinking about for a while. Somehow I thought that just making the decision to make my thoughts available online would open the door to the hordes of people who were waiting to read what I’d written and comment on it. Silly me! My big day so far was maybe six reads. It also took me a while to have the nerve to begin commenting on others’ blogs when I read something that I feel a response to. Like those writers were grown-ups and I”m just a kid and shouldn’t intervene until I’m more mature. Recently I’m getting braver about commenting.
Onward and Upward!
Lynn

Christy Tucker |

I’ve had some of those moments of fear before publishing, although for me it usually prevents me from even writing and getting my thoughts out. Several times when blogging, I’ve felt “stuck” and unable to come up with anything I felt I could write about adequately. I definitely have some perfectionist tendencies, and perfectionism and blogging don’t mix well! I am getting better about not worrying so much, but this may always be a challenge for me.

During my last blogging slump, what got me out of it was commenting on other people’s blogs. I did stay active in the conversations, I just did it on other sites. Eventually something got me interested enough that I wanted to write something more than just a comment, and suddenly I was out of my slump. I wonder if I would have been able to get past that if I hadn’t been out commenting and interacting though.

Nancy, Charlene and Pati . Jane, and Ashley, Slicers, have been regulars, sharing and commenting with me and the rest of the daily and weekly community and time has allowed us to find our connections. We share writing, we share images.

Nancy Cavillones |
Well, don’t they say we become more aware of our mortality as we grow older? Even at my young age, there are things now that give me pause that wouldn’t have bothered me when 10 years ago, or even 5 years ago!Anyway, when I used to stay with my grandparents in Kerhonkson, Ellenville was the “big town” where we went grocery shopping and for Italian food. It’s all relative, I guess!

blink |

bet we all have a little artificial spring in our lives ala NCavillones wearing her burks when 55+, or Tuvia’s sitting on the porch because it’s April. I used to wear shorts if it was over 52 (I know… pretty arbitrary)in Cleveland hoping to nudge Spring.It was April…maybe May for gosh sakes! I had a turtleneck and sweatshirt on but it was my still a bit of spring fantasy!

pati | patimac87@aol.com | peaceeveryday.blogspot.com | IP: 172.191.131.92Bonnie, It appears that we have been traveling a similar path this past month, with the death of a loved one. I have not been able to read all your posts, due to travel and time. Each one is a wonderfully written “Slice of Life.” Thank you for sharing your trip to Israel and your personal thoughts and feelings.

Jane Swanson

Bonnie,
I really can’t find the words to tell you how much I’ve enjoyed your slices. I have loved reading your words and looking at your photos. You asked about my photos and yes, there are a few at Flicker, but not many. I am motivated to get a few more “out there” because you asked. I have loved this sense of community that I’ve found through SOL and I will be visiting here often.
Thanks for all your warm comments for me and my daughters.
~jane

ashley | 

I am that univeristy student right now who is writing to make the assignment disapear! Some assignments this year were terrible drafts but I just did not have the time or energy to make them better.

I started slicing as a challenge to myself to write consistently for 30 days. I was inspired by my friends 30 day yoga challenge and decided to find my own challenge. So I found Two Writing Teachers site while searching for a challenge to write. My goal is to make writing a habit, a need because I love it I am just scared sometimes.

I do not feel like I have a voice or identity, I’m still looking for it but I hope to find it soon. I would love to start writing short stories and eventually a novel but there again I’m stalling because I don’t know how.

I have loved slicing. It is the highlight of my writing day among all the papers I am writing. I love the community of people who are involved and I hope it can continue.

Melba is not comfortable as a blogger but loves sharing her writing and staying connected to our writing project and she responds when I host for Kevin’s Boil Down your Day…

Melba |

Querida amiga, Bonnie
Thanks for inspiring me with your spunk and familia fotos. I needed lifting today. It is always uplifting to see how others live and how alike we are. From a distance we are all the same. So many of those pictures reminded me of the interior of Mexico eventhough you are half way around the world. Thanks for reminding me of our human bond to live life to the fullest every day. Mil gracias amiga querida, Melba

Karen & Kevin pushed me into this world of blogging and commenting. As I traveled through my comment-lane, there they were on every page.

Karen McComas | mccomas@marshall.edu | klmccomas.net/klm | IP: 76.26.83.126

I love seeing my name in your poetry! That’s probably about as close to poetry as I’ll get for a while – just don’t seem to have that “poetry gene

Kevin Hodgson

dogtrax |

I think your story of exploration is inspiration for the folks at your Summer Institute, and you should be sure to keep sharing your journey.
I love how you tied all the various projects in the last few months together (remember how you and I were wondering what kind of collaborative project we could get into next? Well, I guess we found them, eh?)

Lisa raises the point of writing for strangers, and that brings up the idea of digital identity. Who are we in this blogging world and how is that persona different (is it?) from the person we are in the real world (meat world?)

Just a thought

And I like Stacey’s thinking of a mosaic of Slicers, but I will leave it to her to figure out a platform (I can guess that it won’t be VoiceThread)

Kevin

I wonder what I will find in my comment lane a year from now?
Did you take a look through your comments? What did you find?

Bonnie