Which Way's Up

I am currently somewhere in the Pacific Ocean onboard the Disney Wonder. Enjoy today’s blog which, for once in my vacation life, I prepared in advance. Any typos should be considered my editor/husband’s fault.

The Blog Tag

I’ve never participated in a Blog Tag! This is when bloggers tag each other in a twenty-question-style style post as a way to re-introduce themselves. Recently, I was tagged by LifesFineWhine and the timing was perfect. Thanks so much to Pooja! Be sure to check out her blog, her book, her podcast…honestly, Pooja does it all and is a huge supporter of other creative people. Without further ado…

How did you come up with your blog name?

I started blogging decades ago when ramblings of this thing called the interwebs started percolating. I don’t remember which platform I used for blogging initially, just that I loved having a place to write regularly. In fact, way back then, it wasn’t even called “blogging.” More of a digital diary and I enthusiastically signed up from the comfort of my covered wagon.

Which Way’s Up? is an ode to both everyday life and to my days as a high-level gymnast. As a gymnast, nothing was more terrifying than realizing mid-flip or twist that you had no idea where the ground was or…which way was up. As a human, that feeling can pop up as well and provide the same uncomfortable, Oh, eff! feeling.

When I had to create a name for my blog, Which Way’s Up? seemed a perfect title. When I started blogging, I was also starting to adult and, often, found myself completely lost in the air, if you will. Oh, eff!. Of course, now I understand that suddenly losing your bearings is really just a normal product of being alive. That’s just how life works.

It is the challenge of figuring out those Oh, eff! moments that make life both interesting and satisfying–and also shitty, at times. I don’t think any of us loves that feeling of being lost and wondering Which Way’s Up, but I know that pushing through often brings reward.

If your blog was a person (fiction or real), who would it be?

This may be the hardest question to answer but the summary is…I have no idea.

Sybil maybe? My blog tends to take a rambling road when it comes to its voice, style, or topics.

I asked my husband what he thought about this question and he, too, was baffled.

Of course, I was thinking big. Amy Schumer? Kevin Hart? Nate Bargatze? Okay, right – those are all just people with whom I want to hang out. whom I feel I could hang out with pretty easily.

Then it came to me: Ramona Quimby.

You’ve probably never heard of her.

Ramona Quimby is one of my all-time favorite book characters and the star of many of Beverly Cleary’s books, beginning with Ramona Quimby, Age 8. I always loved Ramona. I imagine if I picked up the Ramona books again, I would still love her. Ramona is determined, funny, and always finds herself in odd predicaments.

Sound like someone you might know? Agreed.

What helps you create new content if you feel like you need some inspiration?

I hate that women are conditioned to keep our struggles silent. We feel pressure to present a life filled with unicorns and rainbows. Hello? I can’t tell you the last time I saw a unicorn. It’s not that I’m aiming for the title of Eeyore, though. It’s more about putting up a billboard that says, “Oh yeah, you are most definitely not alone.”

Some say my writing is a bit too personal or even attention-seeking. Ironically, it is on those blogs that some see as too personal or attention-seeking that I nearly always receive the most comments thanking me for sharing the exact same thing that someone else was experiencing.

As far as actual content, I often check in with friends or family for help in focusing when I’m feeling like I don’t know what to write. I try to pay attention to what those around me are going through and I am often relieved to find that we all share the same struggles (and the same warped sense of humor).

Just last week, when writing about the sudden death of my mother-in-law, I got a note thanking me for writing about our age group as we all feel like we are simply playing dress up until the real adults arrive.

You are definitely not alone.

Is there anyone you would like to collaborate with?

Judy Blume, Jenny Lawson, Amy Schumer (she doesn’t have a blog, but if we collaborate…). The list is actually pretty long and, because I’m me, I assume all these collaboration dreams will come true in time.

Is there anything more you wish you had or would like to learn as a blogger?

I wish I had believed in myself and my writing when I was in my twenties.

I was a journalist student when young women weren’t pushed to reporting careers. I aimed to be a sports reporter which was even more unheard of for females. I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I’d had a professor willing to serve as a true mentor. On my papers, I’d often see small notes about my talent, but that was it – just a small comment and nothing further. I sometimes wonder what would have happened if that comment had turned into a push to really explore that talent.

Today, watching my eldest child’s college experience, I am in awe. Her professors truly embrace their students, challenging them to thrive. It’s beautiful and I know it has been life-changing. I’m glad things have changed a bit since my time in college.

I took a long break from blogging in my thirties and I wish I hadn’t. That break came just as those digital diaries were given a name (blogs) and were really taking off. I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t taken that hiatus.

I wish I was better or more consistent at promoting my writing. I wish I didn’t worry so much about what people will think of my words or if my themes will rub someone the wrong way. A few years ago, I got into my head a little too much because I listened to the wrong people. I learned later that their opinions were shit and more about their own insecurities than my writing.

I’d like to learn to take a week or three off each year without feeling bad!

Currently, I am learning to get back to my writing roots. After publishing my first book and getting picked up by a few digital outlets, there was a lot of pressure to write to specific audiences. It was obviously very exciting, but it also caused me to lose a bit of the writing voice that fits me best.

Hi. I’m finding my voice again.

Do you have a specific style of blogging?

Seeing humor in things that should probably not be funny? Is that a style?

Putting it all out there even though my dad might think it’s TMI? Is that a style?

I write about what I’m going through at any given moment. I’ve learned that women share the same struggles but most of us are leery to disclose them. I blame the interwebs and the need to appear perfect. None of us is perfect, especially me. None of us floats through life without a single hiccup, especially me.

I write for inclusion–to tell my readers that they are not alone and, while they may not be comfortable sharing those struggles, that I will do it for them and, perhaps, help them see the humor in those struggles.