One of twelve blog posts that I want to save from a blog that will be deleted later this year. I have updated it to reflect my thoughts today.

This morning, I came across John P. Weiss’ blog post, Do You Want to Improve Your Writing or Become an Algorithm Hack? again.

I have subscribed to John’s blog and read his writing for more than a few years, and quite often he makes me think (a good thing). Furthermore, at times some of his more poignant work have nudged me to remember similar occasions or situations in my life. Whether those were good or bad, after reading his posts it forced me to look at them again. Often looking back at those memories helped me heal more than a few old wounds or bring some badly needed light back into my world.

Why write about this post?

This post tied together many of the strings that needed to come together for me to understand the source of why I was so unhappy with my writing and blogging at the start of 2022.

Weiss’ post made me stop and think more about who I write for, how I write, and why I do it.

I am not in blogging for the money, boatloads of followers or notoriety. Although if someone wants to send me boatloads of money, I can put it to good use. 😁

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I love to write

While I may not be a great or elegant writer, and most of the articles or posts that I have chosen to write about will never become classics or even overly popular, they satisfy my inner muse, which is enough. 

Even so, over the past couple of years, I have struggled with the idea of whether how I write is good enough? 

• Does my writing accurately convey my struggles with the changes to my life, as a result of getting old? 
• Do I appropriately share the many lessons I learn along the way. Along with how convoluted my thinking is, as I attempt to resolve the answers to those questions or situations that arise which I write about.
• How I see things or attempt to resolve problems often is different from the way others do. I have always been that way and it is a gift as well as a curse at times.
• The space between having a thought and doing something about it is often quite brief for me, which leads all too often to encounters of the Harold being Harold kind.

I know that each article is a story and when I don’t write because I am tinkering on my site, moving to a different URL, trying new workflows and all the other things that I do – that are not writing. I often miss or the muses ignore me and my attempts to share that story.

They have little regard for someone who doesn’t dare to honor the creativity and voice they offer to a writer.

This is slowly changing, as I move into different areas of interest and continue to learn that my writing isn’t all about me. It is sharing what I have learned or will learn with readers in a way that it is an interesting read and useful.

…and yes, I do consider myself a writer.

Figuring it out

This storytelling kind of writing is difficult for me to wrap my head around. Yet, that is the direction that I know that I have to journey towards. Becoming a decent storyteller will not happen overnight and there are more than a few bumps in the road I have chosen in front of me.

I have always been more of a technical writer, and creativity wasn’t that necessary. “Just the facts…” adding in the artsy-artsy creative stuff to my technical writing wasn’t necessary or wanted.

The Right Time

Since I have started Harold being Harold over — again. This is the right time to attempt some of these “other” ideas that I have about how I can become a better storyteller. 

What is the worst thing that happens?

I don’t like it, or I get feedback from the few readers that have endured my wandering ways, asking me what the heck I am doing this time?

You never really know what will work better until you attempt something different or new and you will have times where you fail miserably. Then you have to pick your arse back up off the ground and get ready try again, but learn how and why you failed along the way, so you can do better the next time. 

This is the direction that I want, no need to go, with my writing and blogging in the future. There is an audience out there who does have an interest in what I write about, but I have to learn how to write so that my story resonates with their interests.

I think that the below quote from Weiss’ post is the correct direction to go. I have a feeling that if I don’t make the attempt, I will continue to be dissatisfied with my writing and give up on blogging altogether and that is something that I don’t want to have happen.

Going forward this year, I’ll continue to focus on my original goal of elegant storytelling. Because stories contain deep truths. They can move and inspire us far greater than any listicle or another morning routine article.

John P. Weiss

I have a lot of work ahead of me, and I am certain that there will be more than a few ups and downs, along with sliding along sideways at times. Now, at least, I have a better understanding of the direction I want to head, and posts like John P. Weiss’ keep reminding me of that direction when I get a bit off course.

Come with me now, the best is yet to be.

Footnotes

Weiss, John P. “Do You Want to Improve Your Writing or Become an Algorithm Hack?” John P. Weiss – Blog, 8 January 2022, https://johnpweiss.com/blog/174711/do-you-want-to-improve-your-writing-or-become-an-algorithm-hack. Accessed 9 January 2022.