the new old blog, or maybe it's the old new blog

So.... HI. It's been about six months since I told you I was shutting down this blog. After the first couple of weeks, I didn't think about it much for quite awhile. But recently I've realized that I really do miss blogging. I think it might be time to start back up again.

Also, I find myself randomly declaiming my opinion in an inappropriately lecture-ish tone on various social media. I think blogging again on a regular basis might keep me from blurting--and even worse, blurting lectures. *shudder*

Not long ago, I came up with an idea for a blogging project that still intrigues me. I went so far as to attend a WordPress class at our community college and mock up a basic web site. I picked a new pen name for me and a name for the blog (not as easy as it sounds--everything I could think of had already been taken).

I still have that name and the site, and I may still use it, but going through the process helped me realize that I really don't need a new place and a new name and a fancy new website. I just need to re-boot.

This is my third blog (in case you couldn't tell from "Aunt BeaN's Third Blog"). The first two were pretty short-lived. This one was active for eight years. When I first started it, I was in a different mental place than I am now. Much of my writing here, especially the early posts, came from a stance that no longer feels comfortable to me.

I made a gradual shift as the years went by, but it still feels old, buried in the past.. What I must have realized at some not-quite-conscious-level when I decided to shut AB3 down six months ago is that I needed to make a decisive break with it, rather than a gradual shift.

But as I created that new blog over on WordPress, I also realized that I hate all that marketing stuff. I hate having to create a new image and a new persona and all that "branding" crap. I don't want a brand, I just want a place to write.

So. I'm still figuring this out, but I think I'm going to start a new blog right here. Same account, same user name, same old Blogger platform. This blog will still be here. I'm not deleting anything, and I will probably be linking to posts here at times, and--taking my cue from some of my favorite professional bloggers-- I may re-post some things (I'm on vacation this week! Here is an old favorite!). If you click on my profile, it will still show this blog along with the new one.

The only problem (and it's a small one) is coming up with a name. I got so disgusted with all the advice about how to market yourself that I'm tempted to call it Aunt BeaN's Fourth Blog and be done with it. Or maybe, since my original Aunt BeaN's Blog is long gone, I'll drop the numbering and call it that.

But I know you guys are more creative than me (if anybody still even has this in their feed), and maybe one of you can think of something better. I'll still be writing about the same stuff (book reviews, spirituality, dealing with middle age, the chickens, etc). I've always had a pretty strong lean toward writing for women, and I may make that more explicit on the new blog. Let me know if you have any ideas. What do you want to talk about?

Otherwise, AB4 will appear shortly. I'm teaching two classes right now with another one starting in less than a month, so it will probably only be weekly posts for awhile.

Thanks for hanging in there with me.