The difficulty of writing isn’t that there is a lack of ideas. There are currently 161 drafts in the queue on Writing Spool that are starts that haven’t appealed to further development or have been deemed unworthy of publishing for one reason or another — self censoring.
More is the trouble of having too much of interest.
Malcolm Gladwell is a new obsession and, of course, listening to his lectures always has me opening numerous tabs to investigate what he is saying even further. I have yet to read one of his books but do intend to read them all.
He has his critics, but that just causes further incentive for investigation — who in their right mind wouldn’t love him. It does expose wider ways of thinking to look into his ‘haters’. It’s a delightful rabbit hole to fall into.
Jonathan Haidt was someone he had in a panel discussing the Coddling of the American Mind, where Malcolm was the moderator. Fascinating discussion that lead to another obsession with Johnathan Haidt and then to Jonathan’s, wife who is an artist/photographer.
One thing just keeps leading to another and another and I find myself wishing I could go to college or be a fly on the wall at a party where these people live — except that Malcolm seems to not attend parties.
To say the least, it makes me want to be so much more than what I am even though, as Alain de Botton said today, (So often self-confidence is dependent on the basic, but for good people, elusive premise): I’m fine as I am.
Robert Sapolsky was the first one whose videos got me trapped after finally getting a device that would play videos. I’m still listening to his lectures, interviews and speeches.
There is no end of wonderful things to learn and then try to make sense of or incorporate into my own exposed thinking in the writing that is done on Writing Spool.
Today, one of my virtual friends disclosed that he intends to quit writing since hard copy publishing has gone so out of fashion and blogging, he says, only lasts for minutes or for as long as the readers don’t get distracted by the myriad other venues available for discovery. He claims that writing is pointless. Albeit, he is writing about hard things to think about and then do and he is hoping that his writing will inspire people to do what he is hoping his writing will inspire — radical voluntary simplicity — and, as far as he can tell, they aren’t.
I found him because of the very fact that I was seeking others who were choosing to live the way he is and I am trying so hard to as well — with the least of things. So, today I made a point of commenting on his post to let him know that I was sad to hear that he is leaving our few numbers without his good leadership.
It did get me thinking about what the point is for me to continue to write online. Initially, I just wanted to make myself accountable so that the commitment to write something every day for one year would be more compelling. Truth is, numbers matter even if they are only used to gauge whether or not to bother to keep trying. But, the question still remains, why am I trying to write? Initially it’s been stated that it was because of feeling compelled to. That is still true, but who that writes wouldn’t like to eventually be really published? And, what are the chances of that? Almost none.
I’ve always believed in things growing organically. I hate being sold and don’t like to feel myself being in any way coercive. Even Patreon apps trouble me. It’s still an ad and it’s asking for money like begging. The responsibility to add incentives and extra benefits for subscribers and all the work that that implies is daunting.
I’m not afraid of work, mind. It’s just that, like my friend, it seems pointless. It’s a huge gamble.
What I am loving about this exercise in discipline is that everyday I show up, I am forced to look up words (and grammar), look into ideas, study and congeal thoughts. There are so many wonderful things to learn and ever day that this device is opened to try to write, there is more exposure to all the great things out there to think about and see.
The hardest part about it all is to not spend all day doing it — even though Malcolm Gladwell would likely advise that if anyone did want to be published, at this late stage in life, it would probably be the only hope — to spend all day doing it.
Voluntary radical simplicity means trying to grow your own food and there is a whole other world in doing that and there are holes in walls to patch as well so writing is a luxury.
For now, Writing Spool will keep on spooling for whatever merit it might have for anyone.
Writing Spool 