What I’m Doing Back
I took this photo of an intersection marker in Galveston when I wanted to ensure I remembered where I parked my car. Seems an apt metaphor for seeking direction. Galveston Island, Texas. January 30, 2016.
This post makes two more posts this year than I wrote in all of last year.
In fact, I trailed off even toward the end of the year before that. I went well over a year not writing almost at all.
Where did I go?
The people who have mentioned the blog to me, and who have said they missed it, flattered me immensely. (These people numbered fewer than you might expect, alas. And I will love them forever.)
In a way, I missed the blog, too. I missed thinking through questions and ideas in the process of writing about them, and I missed the occasional dialogue my posts inspired, which made me feel less alone in my ponderings.
Interaction through my blog provides me a small sense of community, when it happens.
Yet other matters and events have drained my time and energy, and as my stress increased, the urgency of writing waned. Worse, I felt I no longer had anything of interest to say.
I’ve asked a couple people who inquired about the blog what they missed about it. What posts they liked best. Even where they’d like to see it go.
One person said that while she appreciated the posts on business, current events, and culture, she liked best what I’d written about me—my feelings, my life, my joys and struggles. The more personal essays that gave her the chance to know me just a little more deeply.
While I’ve popped up with a diary-style essay occasionally, I’ve always kept the particulars of my personal life out of the on-line realm; I haven’t ever posted travelogue-style journal entries or detail-filled narratives about my life. Partly, I’ve avoided these types of posts out of a sense of privacy. Partly, I’ve forgone them out of a lack of narcissism—a lack of belief that anyone could possibly find interest in my day-to-day.
Most of the people I queried for specific input and direction on this blog didn’t have concrete answers about the types of posts they liked best. So still, I solicit input. Do you, dear reader, have a type of post of mine that you prefer? The how-tos? The business and career advice? Humor? Relationship topics? Book reviews? Favorite-stuff posts? Essays on current events, arts, and culture? Other?
I welcome the guidance.
I feel renewed twitches of the itch to write. Does this itch need scratching every other day—the frequency at which I posted when I started this blog? No. Likely, I’ll write as I feel compelled—with even once a week as aspirational and nothing to expect, especially not at first.
Maybe, in posts to come, I will crack just a little wider a window on my life. I don’t post much on Facebook, so perhaps this site transitions into an outlet for keeping informed the few people interested in the particulars of my life, even if only in once-a-month highlights or travelogues from work or play (because, goshdarnit, I plan to actually find play in my life again this year).
Perhaps I’ll write posts about just one book, or thing, or thought, rather than compilations and full-out essays.
What I won’t do: Stick to one topic, despite what the blog gurus advise. As before, the notion of adhering to a single subject or mirroring top-searched posts in new content (another key blog tip, per the experts) bores me. Whatever you suggest, don’t suggest this tack. And if you do, don’t get upset when I don’t act on it.
We shall see. As I figure it out, I’d sure like to read what you think in the comments below or via the comments form. (I know some people feel even more private than me when it comes to posting on the Internet.)
Your thoughts?