Write on
The year 2020 has been challenging in so many ways. Yet it has also been clarifying. By stripping away many of life’s normal activities — watching sports, attending happy hours, traveling for vacations — this year has been an opportunity to rediscover passions that brought joy and fulfillment earlier in life before busy calendars crowded them out. (1)
For me, writing is one of those hobbies that fell by the wayside during the rush of my mid-20s. I’ve certainly dabbled in blogging over the years, and writing continues to be an occasional part of my day job, but I do miss the frequency and free-wheeling nature of the content that I published as a bright-eyed student in high school and college.
A lot has changed in the interim — I began a career, moved across the country, switched jobs a few times, got married, and moved halfway back to where I started — but I’ve realized during this time of reflection that my love for writing has remained the same.
Foreword
Yet as any writer knows, getting started (or restarted) is the hardest part. Who do you want to read your work? What do you plan to write about? Where will you publish? How do you find time? Why are you writing?
Well, if there’s anything I’ve learned from working in software, it’s that you’re better off failing fast than agonizing over an idea that you won’t share until it’s perfect — and probably too late to make a difference.
So about a month ago, I made a commitment to myself that I would begin writing regularly once again. I don’t have a grand rationale for this exercise or a specific topic where I intend to focus, and I certainly won’t commit to the prolific writing schedule of my past days (my era of daily newspaper editorials and a 136-page thesis is over).
However, I do intend to use this project for three purposes:
Processing
I’ve learned that I process events and experiences better if I write about them. This seems to be common among other writers, and it holds true across personal and professional projects. If I take the time to translate my thoughts into written words, I retain information more effectively and form clearer lessons that I can carry forward confidently into other parts of life.
Sharing
One side effect of moving far from home and living in an increasingly mobile society is that it has become harder to share important thoughts and ideas with the people close to me. The obvious answer to this problem is social media, but I don’t think these platforms are the best forum for the type of dialogue in which I hope to engage friends and family (2). Most social media platforms’ algorithms are biased toward content that drives engagement (likes, retweets, etc.) or time spent on their platforms, which means they’re not geared toward surfacing nuanced content that invites reflection rather than reaction.
Learning
This project’s third purpose is related to the second. I hope that by sharing my opinions more widely, I’ll receive valuable feedback about when I’m way off base on a topic — or, more optimistically, when I’m onto something important.
For better or worse, we live in an age where events unfold more rapidly than ever before and we’re asked to form opinions — as citizens, friends, family members, and colleagues — at a breakneck pace. Rather than relying solely on my own instincts, I hope to use this forum as a way to “open source” my ideas so that my network can offer ways to improve upon them.
Onward
For now, I can’t promise anything beyond thoughts and musings that will arrive in your email inbox most weeks, and these might be a bit scattershot while I hone in on a few central content themes during the initial posts. As an early reader, though, you’ll have a prominent voice in shaping the direction of this publication (3).
This project becomes more valuable with each person who subscribes, so I hope you’ll take a leap of faith and join me on this journey! I look forward to finding out where it takes us.
Footnotes
(1) I should acknowledge my place of privilege, both as it pertains to how these activities characterized “normal” life pre-COVID and how my personal life is free of the many responsibilities — childcare, essential work, and caregiving duties — and burdens — racial injustice, health risk factors — that are making life incredibly challenging for so many others during this pandemic.
(2) Of course, this is a paradox because these platforms were founded for the express purpose of connecting friends and family. I have many more thoughts on this subject, which I’ll save for future posts.
(3) This is the closest thing you’ll get to a sales pitch, I promise. :)