Blog Rules
Post written to the tune of Here Comes the Sun by The Beatles
Here comes the blog do do do do
Here comes the blog, I said. It’s all right.
Years ago I accepted writing as part of my life. It’s just something I did every day (mostly in an informal messy journal type style), so I accepted it. I thought this has been part of my life long enough now that I feel comfortable saying it will be part of my life forever.
^When it comes to journaling your boy has been putting up stats. I’m organized, too. Pre 2018 was less organized, more Hilroy notebook style. Google docs is my fave for three reasons 1) Easy to organize 2) Always with me (via phone / internet connection) 3) Easy to search and find old entries.
I love writing because writing is thinking practice. People who write well are people who think well. And I just want to think clearly. All I really want to do is think clearly.
Nowadays I see the blog as a means to work out my thoughts publicly with the intention of eventually, possibly, letting these public thoughts evolve into published work. Most likely published work in the form of a book. Life is so rich and I’m a writer so I feel it would be a violation of my integrity to not write and not share. There’s no immediate pay off with this stuff. Nobody reads it. That’s not the point. The point is to think clearly. And leave a record of life behind to prove I was here and I was awake and I lived.
Here comes the blog I said it’s all-right do do do do do do da da da
I’ve decided to share my blog rules. Why? I don’t know. I just thought they were interesting or something.
They’ve been 15 years in the making. This wasn’t my starting place. This is where I’m at right now.
I’m proud of them. I used to think my opinions were worthless and embarrassing. And now I have blog rules. So. Don’t we grow up so fast? Thank you Dead Poet’s Society. Thank you Robin Williams.
“Boys, you must strive to find your own voice. Because the longer you wait to begin, the less likely you are to find it at all. Thoreau said, “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation.” Don’t be resigned to that.”
These rules are a work in progress, ever evolving, and ever subject to change. My plan is to continually evolve and update them as I continually evolve and update.
Blog rules:
The blog is unapologetically about my life. I write about my life. I don’t write about other people’s lives. I write about me. I write about how things affect me. So what does this mean? I don’t write about the NHL, I write about my hockey. I don’t write about geo-politics, I write about my politics. I don’t write about what’s wrong with the world, I write about what’s wrong with me. At its best it’s refreshing and honest and real. At worst it’s egotistical, self involved, and mildly narcissistic. I’m OK with all of that. It’s just a blog.
Grammar and spelling and proper writing is not important. It’s just a blog.
Blog posts are not supposed to be filtered, well thought out, finished pieces of writing. The book that comes from the blog posts will be all of those. The blog is quick and messy and unfiltered. The blog is the practice court. The book is the main show.
I don’t have to share every post publicly. Some posts will be shared (on social media or via email blast), some will not. It depends what I feel like.
I don’t sit on posts. Write it and post it. If I want to delete the post later, delete the post later. Don’t hold it back. Push it out.
No post is ever finished. Published posts can be revised, rewritten, or removed later on if I feel like it.
Practice posting writing I don’t think is very good. Develop the muscle that says this writing is mediocre but I’m still going to post it because it’s just writing. It’s not me.
My writing and my thoughts are not me. My writing and my thoughts are of me, but they’re not me. Check in on this difference every now and then.
Speak up when I feel like it. There’s no pressure to say anything. Don’t post on a schedule. Post every now and then.
Here comes the blog, I said. It’s all right.
