Image by Crystal via Flickr/CreativeCommons

Here we are at the end of #bloglikecrazy. 

My hope was that my post for November 30 would clearly explain what's next for me in my blogging life. But the truth is I'm still not sure. I want to do so much, too much. I want to blog about journalism. I want to blog about feminism. I want to blog about Birmingham. I want to blog about my faith. I want to blog about my life! 

And while I believe we women can do it all, I don't think we (or anyone) can do it all at once. 

So I did what I always do: I made a list. I made a list of my writing goals:

• I want to be a journalist on my own terms. 
• I want to be a well-known feminist blogger.
• I want to write a book about feminism. 
• I want to be a successful, award-winning blogger.
• I want to write and publish an e-book about blogging. 
• I want to inspire and empower other women writers. 
• I want to use my writing to serve God. 
• I want to do more public speaking (and get paid for it). 
• I want to land my own column in a local publication.
• I want to land my own column in a national publication. 
• I want to see my byline in all my favorite magazines. 

My intention was to then rank these goals, put them in some sort of order and go about attacking them one by one. The goal I ranked first would dictate the topic of my new or revamped blog. But suddenly I realized all my goals were somehow related, that each goal - when accomplished - would just bring me a step closer to bringing another dream to fruition. 

They are all related because they all define me. 

Then I remembered something writer Jeff Goins once said, something I even quoted in a post this month but somehow failed to heed the very advice I was trying to share. Goins says: 

Writing isn’t about picking the right topic; it’s about finding the right voice.

So what's next? Finding my voice. Truly. 

In December you can expect this blog to be a bit quiet. I'm going to spend the next 30 days focusing on finding my authentic writing voice, planning for 2014, and preparing for the next chapter in my writing life. 

You can expect a fun announcement on Dec. 31, New Year's Eve, my favorite holiday of them all. 

I hope you will join me on the journey that's ahead. 

As #bloglikecrazy comes to a close I'm getting excited thinking about what's next (more on that tomorrow). I've spent most of this month kicking around the idea of starting a feminist blog, which I contemplated last year during #bloglikecrazy but failed to do. I've been thinking about what would make my blog different from all the other feminist websites out there.

I want my site to a safe virtual space for women and girls trying to figure out feminism -- for women trying to figure out if they truly feminists and for those who know they are but aren't quite sure what to do next. How do we incorporate feminism in our everyday lives. I want my blog to answer this  question: What does a feminist life look like?

image via

This Thanksgiving I am grateful for women.

I thank my mother for giving me life and for being my first best friend.

I thank Maya Angelou, Nikki Giovanni and June Jordan for poetry.

I thank Toni Morrison and Kate Chopin for prose.

I thank dream hampton for her words and her Jagged Edges.

I thank Jessica Valenti for starting a feminist website that changed my life.

I thank Joan Morgan for writing a book that helped me define feminism for myself.

I thank Sarah Bessey for showing me how to take my feminism to church.

I thank Geralyn for being the sister I always wanted.

I thank Laura and Charlene for making college even better than I had hoped.

I thank Maisy for making Louisville the hometown of my heart.

I thank Annemarie for being my work wife.

I thank LaTasha for being my person, my family, my friend.

I thank Tanya for long walks and for giving me the courage to run.

I thank Sherri for believing girls can run the world.

I thank Chanda for support, inspiration, and Olivia Pope.

I thank Karri for girl talk that I never want to end and for loving Howard the Duck as much as I do.

I thank the women of See Jane Write for helping me answer my life's call.

I thank the teenage girls in the Women and the Media class I instruct for teaching me far more than I will ever teach them.

I thank the woman in the mirror for stubborn self-love.

Here are three things I'd like Santa to bring me this Christmas:

The Book of Jezebel: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Lady Things

This encyclopedic guide to pop culture, feminism, fashion and more is by the writers and other creatives of the popular website for women Jezebel.com. Reading this would be a great way to spend winter vacation.

Wonder Woman running socks

If these socks don't motivate me to keep running, nothing will.

My Body Is a Temple tee

This t-shirt by GirlTrek makes the fashion fitness statement I want the world to know.



What are you wishing for this holiday season?

image via

I have been posting a lot lately about wanting to start a feminist blog. But what I haven't mentioned is that I also have about a dozen other ideas for new websites. (Obviously, I can't pursue them all. I can barely find time to shower as is. But the ideas linger, nonetheless.)

One idea I got a few months ago was to start a blog (or to revamp this one) to focus solely on my efforts to be a journalist on my own terms. I haven't worked as a full-time journalist since 2009, but reporting is still in my bones. I still freelance often and I still see story ideas all around me all the time. And even though I call blogging the love of my writing life, I am still a journalist. When I attended Blogalicious in October I felt most confident not when I was talking about my blog but when I was interviewing people, when I was reporting. It felt so natural.

But I don't want to be a staff writer for a newspaper or magazine. I do, however, want to make a difference with my words and I want to be a role model for other female journalists, especially after watching a TED Talk by reporter Megan Kamerick on how women are underrepresented in the news media and how this results in incomplete stories.

It seems no matter what I do it all comes back to women and writing. It all comes back to inspiring women to share their stories and finding the courage to share my own.

Yesterday I completed my second half marathon. Barely. 

Though I was in great spirits when I crossed the finish line, my body was not in the same good mood. Around mile 11 I hit a wall. My muscles were aching like never before. I started to wonder if I'd even be able to complete the race. But I did. 

And my sweet husband was waiting for me at the finish line (in the cold) with flowers!

I wouldn't say I had a bad race yesterday. Just as I say that when it comes to traveling any plane landing you walk away from is a good one, I also believe that if you cross the finish line and you're not in the back of an ambulance, you've had a good race. Still my race could have been better. 

I wish I could have enjoyed my race more. I wish I would have felt stronger. And I think I would have if I had stuck to the plan. 

When I started training for this half marathon three months ago my plan was to walk this race for two reasons: 1) I was planning to do the race with my cousin/BFF who isn't a fan of running and 2) I was worried my joints wouldn't be able to handle the impact of running. 

Then my cousin broke her ankle. I thought about not doing the race at all after I lost my road dawg, especially after my connective tissue disease started to flare up like a brat begging for attention. 

But then I decided not only would I do the race but I'd also run parts of it too!

Bad idea.

During the bulk of my training I was only walking. Sure, it was very fast paced race walking. In fact, I had reached the point to where I could almost walk as fast as I run. But still, my training focused on walking. Thus my body was not prepared for long stretches of running.  I honestly believe that if I had just stuck to that fast paced walking for the entire race I would have finished in the same amount of time and felt great at the end. 

But I didn't stick to the plan. 

I didn't stick to the plan because I got distracted. I got distracted by a silly need to call myself a runner.  I got distracted by my fear of being the last person to finish the race (even though I had already told myself I didn't care when I finished). I got distracted and forgot the importance of moving at my own pace. 

And I've realized I make similar mistakes in my writing career too. I will set a goal and develop a plan for achieving it but I often fail to stay the course because I'm so worried about what the people around me are doing. 

This race has taught me a valuable lesson. The end of the year is approaching, which means I've already started drafting my list of aspirations for 2014. For each major goal I'm also going to draft a plan for bringing these dreams to fruition. And I'm going to stick with this plan even if the people around me seem to have discovered some quick and easy path to success. 

I will stick to the plan and remember that slow and steady wins the race. 

I did it!

I did the Magic City Half Marathon today and I survived.

I'll be back tomorrow with my post-race reflections.

xo,
javacia