Hi friend,
You’ve been reading my writing journey for a little while now and I want to share how it’s been going. Some metrics (#s) and a reflection on how it’s helped me as a person survive by opening up a new place where the ideas in my mind can live.
How often have I been writing?
I started in late Summer 2020, with the advent of a decision on the re-opening of schools in Ontario. 25 newsletters of ideas, so-far.
The first 3 blog posts, all about school re-opening, were written and published in the same week. Then there was a break all of September, with a short blog post in October called Rules of Engagement.
I didn’t write again until November 13th, a full-month, with a post titled “Celebrating America”, on the American Election, a setback to American Facism, though electing another side of the same coin none-the-less.
Writing spurts
It looks like all of my writing happens in spurts of 2-3 posts over a 3 week period, with a pause for about a month. I didn’t plan this, though that’s the pattern. On January 25th, I decided to stop publishing the newsletter to focus on a book.
By February 15th I couldn’t help but write again about something on my mind (Time Travel & Dance Dance Revolution).
The same pattern continued in March, April, May, and June. 3 weeks of writing, and a month of rest. It’s super interesting.
Who is reading?
The email list is only 19 people, including two co-workers, a fair number of Entrepreneurs in Parkdale Centre’s programs, past acquiantances, designers, and then some strangers I don’t know at all.
When I share on LinkedIn, which I’ve cut from 2800 connections to about 190-220, each newsletter attracts about 30, 40, 60, or about 90 readers, max.
I don’t know a lot of the folks who read the newsletter each time I publish. I wonder if it’s the same people, or always random folks.
What’s motivating my writing?
I feel healthy when I write. A lot of my feelings, injustices, and guidance to myself comes out when I put ideas to paper.
They say you should take your own advice. I talk to a lot of people sometimes and when I do, I am giving, in guidance mode. When I do that, I need to think through, and talk a lot too. I never do that for myself.
When you have conversations with people, different synapses in your brain spark (is that a thing?) and you reach new ideas and conclusions.
It’s why UX Designers use sticky notes, to bring all of the ideas in-front of them, map them out, and take the best possible routes forward.
Writing has been my outlet of sticky notes, helping me navigate my path, to understand the things I see and that happen in my life, to rationalize and move forward.
Looking back, I’m proud of the body of work, and to have a written foundation of my thinking this past year. I write to free my mind, so that I can live.
Free your mind, and the rest will follow.
