So what did I discover from my 2016 blog resolution to blurt out a quick story or poem once a week?

“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” Maya Angelou

1. It was a great brain zapper! The main idea of Blurting had been to energize my brain as I edited a collection of stories which I’d been working on for quite a while. It worked! Forcing myself to focus on a quite different story really helped me go back to the collection with a fresh eye. (Not that it was always easy!)

2. I discovered that I love writing from images rather than from words. That’s why so many of my posts linked to the Weekly Photo Challenge.

3. I learned to go with whatever came as I started writing rather than stop and try to find something better. (Although whatever I started with often shifted as I wrote.) Fighting the idea was the quickest way to get stuck.

4. Habits are hard to break. I’d given myself permission to write whatever came to mind and not worry if it didn’t turn out to be a story. I did worry! I found it hard to let a Blurt go if I hadn’t found the thread or the proper way to finish it. Quite a few times I had to comfort myself with the thought that I’d finish the story when I had time after the Blurt year was over.

5. An unexpected bonus of my year of Blurt writing was checking out the blogs of people who left a ‘like’ or a comment. What amazing blogs there are out there – stories, poetry, art, photography, life stories, gardening, cooking, travel, the environment…

Thanks so much to all of you who dropped by and supported me, especially those of you who regularly read the Blurts. I really appreciated your support.

What’s next? I still have a day to decide on my blog resolution for 2017! This might help… Any suggestions?

Prunella Prune in the Bedroom with Sulphate of Zinc?

Witch’s Chair

Beware the Half Light

No.6. House of Ghosts

In the Runes