Milking Chickens

There are just some things I'm not suited to do, no matter how hard I try.

I write. I write about everything under the sun. I write family fun, chaotic adventures, children's stories, craft how-to's and epic fantasies. But that doesn't mean I should be writing about all of them.

I'm like a chicken that wants to give milk. She can try again and again, but all she'll get for her efforts is an egg. That's because she wasn't meant to give milk, even though she wants to.

So it is in writing. I've been told I have a gift for quick and witty satire, funny poetry, and poignant blog posts (at least on occasion!) I'm good at the short stuff- not the long convoluted plots of epic fantasy novels, or memoirs. 

Let's use the recent awards ceremony as an example. What did I win first place in? The short stuff. I won third place for children's story- the only project that took several rewrites before I considered it 'polished', yet it still isn't ready for publication! Even when I do write the short stuff, people find it funnier in the telling than the reading- One agent said 'Your writing is better suited for stand-up' and after the initial shock, I think she might be right- at least in part.

So I had to go back to basics. What was I was made for anyway? I was made to make people laugh. When I see someone looking sad (or just plain stubborn), my goal is to make them guffaw, chuckle, or at least crack a smile. Belly laughs make my day, and God has gifted me with enough bluntness and ironic truth in my humor to make people think afterwards.

I'm the chicken who wants to give milk, but knows better.

Oh I'll still work on some of that writing to hone my skills as a hobby, but my focus will be on what I do well. Even a series of short 'bloggish' type stories can make an excellent book, so that's what I'll work on. Other projects can wait and be used to sharpen my beak.

And be proud that I can lay some pretty decent eggs when I have to!