Might as well get these out of the way on Day 1.
I’m not ready for this month. I haven’t prepared topics or set aside time. I’m still in the middle of the book I meant to finish before March, and it’s due at the library, so I need to prioritize that. I didn’t manage to finish marking all those essays I swore I’d finish before the March challenge started, and now I might never find the time… or at least not until April. The students will suffer.
I’ll never have time to comment on as many other posts as I want to. I might miss someone. I’ll miss my “regular” blog buddies. What if my comments are boring? What if I don’t say enough? I should spend time on my students, not these random teachers I’ve never even meant. How is this useful? Why am I even doing this?
I’ve already learned everything I needed to learn from writing every day – this is indulgent – or time-consuming – or something. My partner calls this “Hell month” then, when I object, he threatens to record me saying how much I love this month and play it back to me on, say, March 25th. I glare at him. Writing every day just to prove my partner wrong is probably the wrong motivation.
I forgot to write and now it’s late at night. It’s too personal. It’s not personal enough. I don’t have anything new to say. I don’t have anything to say. Who wants to read this anyway? This piece stinks. I’m not a writer. I think I actually hate everything I’ve ever written.
What if ________ reads this? What if no one reads this? What if everyone reads this?
What if I’m no good? What if I’m too much? What if I’m not enough? What if I mess up?
What if I do this? What if I write? What if I enjoy myself? What if writing is fun? What if I find a community that lifts me up? What if this is just what I need?
I’ve done this before; I’m ready; this is just what I need. March, I’ve been waiting for you. 31 posts in 31 days. I’ve got this.
Persistence and Pedagogy 
You CAN do this! You’ve done this before. When all the intrusive thoughts coming rushing in, send them away with this affirmation. I read this, and I liked it because I resonated with it. Writing isn’t always easy and that’s okay.
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You CAN do this! You’ve done this before. When intrusive thoughts come rushing in, use this to ground you. I read this, and liked it because I resonated with it! Writing isn’t always easy, and that’s okay.
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What a gift to hear these lines from you today, Amanda!
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Amanda, were you in my brain earlier? I was thinking much the same thing! Your “whatifs” hit the nail on the head, and I admire what you did, turning them around the way you did. That was clever, and I wish it were something I thought of.
You have me inspired to take that passage and use it as mentor text for some of my students. Thank you!
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You’ve got this! All your what if questions are ones I’ve asked myself too. I think that’s part of what keeps me motivated — that we’re all in it together, same fears, same doubts, but same joys and wins, too. A community made of so many who have never even met, but it still counts!
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Oh, heeeyyyy! It’s like reconnecting with old friends being here. I for one, read all of your posts during March (you have a way to like, I dunno, get me?). This year, I am actually super looking forward to just being creative. Just putting whatever out here into the universe. No one reads? Meh. That’s not the point. I challenged myself to write, albeit bad, too wordy, not wordy enough, etc.? Meh. Also ok. I wrote.
Anything you write has such a personal feel — it will reach someone somewhere. Thanks for sharing your gift and time, Amanda. I for one will read.
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I am sure I have used these excuses many times! But, we keep going anyway! I like how the “excuses” turned postivie in the end. That is what we need to remember! Happy writing!
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Amanda,
What if you don’t do this? I suspect that might create a whole new kind of hell month for your hubby. 😜
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You do have this and I could have written this same post today. You are not alone my friend. So glad you’re here!
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Thank you for writing the excuses that run through our heads as we try to convince ourselves it’s not worth the time. I love the way your last two paragraphs reset the tone – that last series of questions are ones I need to copy and remind myself of frequently.
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This piece had me laughing and commiserating (how do you spell that??) because I am right there with you. I have ALL the excuses this year and woke up this morning absolutely certain it was a NO for this year. But here I am after all. It’s March. This is what we do!
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Fun when I heard it aloud, still terrific on “paper.” So glad you shared this with the entire community.
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