Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Blog or book?

Writing a book is an idea I've been toying with for a while. People tell me all the time that they think I should write a book because they think I'm so "inspirational." I understand what people are saying, but this high praise always makes me cringe a bit because I'm not trying to be an inspiration. I'm not trying to do anything grand; I'm just making the best of my life. I AM glad I can show people that it IS possible to go through something traumatic/life-changing and still live a joyful life. So even though I'm not trying to be an inspiration, I'll take the complement and consider it a challenge to continue to live the best way I can.

Back to writing a book. I actually started writing back in 2004. I wrote about my accident, my recovery and my personal experiences as I exited the "normal" world and entered the disabled world. I'm glad I wrote those experiences down when I did, because although I have a great memory, time has a way of bluring even the most vivid details that you're sure you'll never forget. I put my book on the back burner after I wrote down my initial thoughts and experiences because I developed a bit of "writers block" and I wasn't sure how to proceed.

Fast forward 4½ years to the summer of 2009. I felt the desire to start writing again, but going back to my book didn't appeal to me. Several people including family and friends suggested I start a blog. At first I didn't like this idea at all because I wasn't sure what I would write about or who would read it. I e-mail my family and close friends about the things I'm up to, so I didn't think there'd be anyone else who would be interested in my life. I was wrong. My blog has really taken off in the past year and a half, and I receive lots of comments from people, even complete strangers, who really like what I have to say.

I'm still on the fence about whether I will ever get back to my book, or if I should just stick to blogging. I've already blogged a lot of what I wrote in my book, so I wouldn't want it to be redundant. I guess I'll have to keep thinking about it. One thing I've learned over the past several years is to, "Never say never," because I never thought I would write a blog. (And when I started blogging, I never thought I would enjoy it so much!)

*If you're interested in reading more about my accident, recovery and how being paralyzed has changed my life, scroll to the bottom of this page. I've created a chronological list of the posts where I've talked about my accident, so just click the title of the post you're interested in, and it'll take you there!

4 comments:

Kim@stuffcould.... said...

I am happy that you started blogging. I hardly read books but glad to read about your life here? A new way of communications, I guess
kim
ps. You have inspired me to exercise more already

Jackie said...

What about writing a fictional book about fictional characters, but based on your experiences, rather than an auto biography. That would avoid duplicating your blog and would give you the opportunity to elaborate or embelish your story as you see fit. You also get to choose your story ending!

Cinoda said...

"I understand what people are saying, but this high praise always makes me cringe a bit because I'm not trying to be an inspiration. I'm not trying to do anything grand; I'm just making the best of my life."

Exactly, that is what makes you such an inspiration. People that have to "try" to be something..aren't.

Unknown said...

WRITE A BOOK!

Love,

Your Utah Friend

Tina

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