An Annual Letter

It’s been some time, guys. I apologize for the lack of blog posts. I don’t have a great excuse besides my birthday (it was on Monday)… 🙂 but I thought this would be a good time as ever to talk about an annual writing goal!

As I sat in front of my laptop, wondering what to talk to you about, the first thing that comes to mind was distance. I thought of how distant I’ve been from my writing, from the writing community, and most importantly- from myself. Writing is who I am and I forget that sometimes…

But alas, I got my kick. The holidays are approaching and crunch time is nearing for the one and only Hathaway Family Christmas Letter! No, but really. This is a thing.

Years before I was born, my parents started a tradition of sending out an annual letter to their friends. My father was in the military so he traveled and met oodles of people over the years. Also, our extended family lives up north so we don’t see them very much. #ArkansasProbs This letter is a way to update everyone on the big things that happen over the year.

So as I sit here, writing and editing, I ponder how I’ve changed this year and reflect on how I’ve grown as a writer. It’s easy to look back at pictures you’ve posted on Facebook and Instagram and get a blips and snapshots of your year. But I’ve realized it’s difficult to remember where I was 12 months ago as a writer. Have I grown? Have I challenged myself? What did I learn?

Writing this letter for my family makes me think about perhaps writing an annual reflection on my personal growth as a writer. It can’t hurt to have something to look back at years down the line. It could help me keep the distance from taking over. Who knows?

Care to join me in writing an annual letter to yourself? It doesn’t have the be pretty and clean or any certain length. It’s for you and it can be at any time and cover whatever you’d like. As you mature in your writing, your letters will reflect that over time. As much as we devote ourselves to our writing, why shouldn’t we paint a picture of ourselves with this gift as well?

-Colleen