Adventures at BlogHer ’09

This is an Adventure, of a different kind. I am starting this post in a very different way.  If you read my blog regularly, than it is already obvious.  I am writing my blog, for the first time, in the first person, coming out from behind the scenes.  This inspiration came to me after speaking with the incredibly wonderful, incredibly lovely, Barbara A. Weibel, the talented traveling voice of Hole in The Donut. In talking about our paths and what has lead us to travel writing and in sharing with her how I came to blogging, she asked, “Why do you write in the third person?”  I paused.  I realized even before I answered that those ancient reasons seemed silly to me now, 7 months later, but I told her anyway. 

“When I started writing I felt weird about it being all about I, I, I. It didn’t seem believable to me, at the time, that anyone would be interested in what “I” had to say.”  And she looked at me, sharing with me in essence, the importance of women being confident in their writing, how it was this lack of confidence that lead, for example, to such low numbers in female submitted editorial pieces to such giants as The New York Times and others.  She encouraged me, in short, to own my blog and come out  from behind it.

And so, my darling readers, here I am.  NYCityMama is me. Because those who know me would agree, lack of confidence does not define me…not anymore…and though I am sure someone wants to read what I have to say, it is no longer a concern of mine, because I am writing about what I love and I believe I am doing so well enough to feel personal pride in my work.

And I thank Barbara for her words of wisdom and push to come forward.  I learned much during my trip to Chicago, but what I learned was not offered at any session or lunch gathering, instead it was through conversations with people I connected with along the way.  As a travel writer, stuck in one place, my adventure became not about the destination, but the people in it. I made it my goal to connect with as many people that I would have never connected with otherwise.  I went outside my circle, asked the questions, listened, learned.

I have a couple of reviews to share…it is after all, what I love to write about.  But my adventure during this trip had more to do with reaching another level of self discovery and self reflection. I love to write about my trips and the adventures along the way, but it is the personal discoveries during this journey that really complimented my experience and affected me.  And I believe that you, my readers, can benefit from this as well, because I believe in the end, that I can only become a better writer for it.

Thank you to everyone who shared their story with me.  You’ve complimented my life.

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