#52 WHAT COMES NEXT?

Here we are...and thank you for making this journey with me. When I started, I really didn't know if I would complete all 52 posts. It was a challenge I set for myself, so I figured that if I gave up, no one would really notice or care. Then my wonderful bleaders started following my posts from week to week and commenting to me about their thoughts. You told me what touched you, what motivated you, what amused you. You shared your own ideas and dreams with me. As my energy faltered, you gave me yours. So here we are! 52 posts have now been written and hurled into cyberspace. What's next?

I considered many options. I thought about stopping blogging completely. I have lots on my plate and I thought I could check this experiment off my list and move on.

I considered keeping the blog going but only posting when the spirit moved me. That seemed like a doable compromise.

I thought about focusing the blog on one topic, food perhaps,  or books, and then posting only about things that pertained to that. However, I have heard from some of you non-cooks that the food posts were not as captivating to you. I didn't want to cut down my readership right out of the gate.

The idea for 52 Questions about Food, Books, Life and Love came to me suddenly, and when it popped into my head, it felt right. I was hoping for another such epiphany but they say that lightening doesn't strike twice. Lucky for me, it did. However, this time I wasn't sure I was ready to buy what my muse was selling. She seemed to be asking me to put a lot on the line, to take  a big risk. Our conversation went something like this:

Muse: I know what your next project should be.
Rachel: Really? Great. What? (Since my muse is part of me, I can talk in shorthand).
Muse: Don't freak out, but I think you should write a novel in 52 chapters.
Rachel: You're nuts!
Muse: Think about it; you've already mastered this blogging thing. Remember how scary it seemed at first? Now you're done, and its been a really interesting and satisfying experience.
Rachel: I've never written a novel.
Muse: You've started quite a few.
Rachel: Thanks, don't remind me. That fact alone makes me feel like a failure.
Muse: Okay, then rise to the challenge. I know you can do this!
Rachel: I wish I had as much faith in myself as you have in me.
Muse: Look, the fear is part of the fun. This will be a challenge but that makes it exciting.
Rachel: But what if I can't do it? What if its awful? What if I embarrass myself?
Muse: What if its good? What if people like it? What if you can get it published eventually? Why do you always have to look at the dark side? This glass is half full.

Clearly, I am no match for my marvelous (manipulative?) muse. Next week, I will embark on a new blogging adventure. I will be writing a serial novel. This is not a novel novel concept. Charles Dickens' The Pickwick Papers was first published in the British papers in contiguous installments. Henry James, Harriet Beecher Stowe and Herman Melville all wrote serial novels. Even Tom Wolfe's iconic novel, The Bonfire of the Vanities ran in 27 parts in Rolling Stones magazine.

I have not yet ironed out all of the logistics. I may need to re-vamp this blog or begin a new one on the same site. I will have to let you know as I figure out the details.

In the meantime, friends, please stay tuned for our next shared adventure.