I don't know why I've been so dis-interested in updating this blog in the last few weeks. But I'm feeling the need to write again. Part of my problem was deciding what to do with this blog now that we're actually underway and officially fulltiming. The options I considered were, first, to write only occasional witty insightful interpretations of what we're doing or seeing -- for instance, maybe an essay on "how small towns along the Michigan shoreline acquired their names" or maybe "a comparison of American Indian burial sites throughout the upper Midwest". Everyone would want to read things like that. It'd be great stuff. Why these essays could even be collected published after my death and become classic works. Except for the death part, that sounds really good.
My other option was to write a simple daily journal of our activities. But it'd be hard to get these published. It'd probably be hard to get anyone to read them at all. Most people have enough trouble keeping up with their own daily activities, much less spending valuable time reading about someone else's.
What to do? The first option sounds like too much work -- putting thoughts together with proper grammar and sentence structure; the coherent flowing from one point to another, from one thought to another, trying to get each essay down to exactly 500 words -- something I struggled with in high school. The second option sounds like too much work too -- having to write something every day; like having a deadline. I'm on sabbatical and shouldn't have deadlines. And a daily journal could become inane and senseless with small details no one cares a whit about... like "today I got up and made coffee, then headed for the bathroom..." No one wants to read that.
Mental struggle. Writer's block. Wringing of hands. What to do?
"Just stop it! That's what to do! Stop thinking about this blog as something it's not." I slapped myself in the face. "Just stop it! If you want to write, just write. Don't care what it looks like or sounds like or what other's might think of it. Just write!"
There. OK. I feel better now.
T
Slightly Better than Most
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3 comments:
Writing when you feel like writing sounds like a good idea to me. Do write some about what you guys have been up to, as I like to see what Thom and Dar have been doing while drinking a cup of joe in the mornings. Sounds like from your "Toad" post and snippets on your main page that everything is clear for take off and you guys are rolling. I bet Dar is enjoying kicking her feet up in that co-pilot chair :) I know I did. I like the fact that your picture albums show a little marker on the map too. That could be very interesting as you guys rack up the miles and travel the country.
Write when you want, whatever motivates you, just a hello, just your moods, it's really quite all interesting I must say. I keep checking all the time for updates. Maybe I need a life, ha ha!
I think you should try to write a certain amount of words every day, just to keep your mechanics sharp. That way, when inspiration does strike, and it will, you'll be able to keep up with it. Easy for me to say. I do enjoy reading the updates, whatever the topic for that day.
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