Thursday, February 26, 2009

Terrible with Titles

Because I am a writer, I think in the written word. Or maybe I think in the written word, and therefore I am a writer. In any case, I love to write. In the last ten years, I have written: many short stories, a story long enough to be a novella, several non-fiction essays, a screenplay, three drafts of a very long, complicated and unpublished novel, and lots and lots of little things. But this is my first blog.

I've been thinking about starting a blog for a few months. Or, to put it more accurately, my thoughts have started coming in blog-like chunks. This is probably because, as I navigate the muddy waters of parenthood, I have come more and more to connect with other travelers via the Internet, and specifically blogs. And, as a writer, what I'm reading influences how I think to write. A blog entry is like a little nugget. The best are shiny gold. Some a pretty little pebble, or maybe a rock stuck in your shoe. Occasionally, one resembles the hard little nugget of poop your kiddo pops out after much effort (all mommyblogs must mention poop every five entries!). But from reflective moment to rant, all have their place in the story of a given individual.

In order to start a blog, I had to pick a name for it. I am terrible with titles. My husband gives me grief about this all the time. And it is true - either I get a title I like from the very start of an idea, or I never find one I completely love. Thankfully, I have a husband who is pretty good with titles. But he is a busy man. And I just wanted to START WRITING ALREADY. And I have learned that when you're a writer and you have that impulse, then JUST START WRITING ALREADY.

So the blog is called bubsybubs, which generally comes as two words and is one of many pet names for my son. I wanted to keep it simple and call it BBB (bubsy bubs blog), but that was already taken. So was BB. So whatever! I just picked the first thing I thought of and called it that. After all, what appeals to me about the blog is the conversational tone, the informal nature of it. If I overthink blog writing, as I am prone to do with all kinds of writing, then what's the point? Might as well call it an essay and get serious.

Adventures in Life & Motherhood is the subtitle. A bit generic, I know. But that's what I hope to chronicle here, the adventures and misadventures of being mama to a certain bubsy bubs. Except I wanted to leave it open-ended too, since I think of a blog as a kind of public journal, and my thoughts wander these days. 

So there are my terrible titles, and here's the good news: no literary critics are visiting today! 

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