commit 2c836a463c9414602cb112bee3f0c3ca05a4599b (patch)
parent f36a1d84f14630c9ad0c2afa25478d03cd014afa
Author: Alex Karle <alex@alexkarle.com>
Date: Fri, 23 Oct 2020 00:23:48 -0400
thoughts: Add post on blogging into the void
As a non-technical post, there's not much backstory to put
in the commit message... the post I was referring to in the
beginning is a post on ed(1) and my discovery/learning/using
it over vacation. I do still plan on posting that one day...
just one more proof read, I promise! :P
This felt cathartic to write. Despite the late-hour, I'm gonna
push it. I fear if I wait until morning to re-read it, I won't
publish it at all.
Diffstat:
2 files changed, 47 insertions(+), 0 deletions(-)
diff --git a/content/10-22-20-on-writing.md b/content/10-22-20-on-writing.md
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+<!-- {% include=head %} -->
+
+### October 22, 2020: On Writing Without an Audience
+
+I wrote a blog post 3 weeks ago but never published it. I spent a couple
+hours writing, proof-reading, and rewriting, and settled to re-read
+once more in the morning and publish if I still liked it after a good
+nights sleep.
+
+I got caught up with other things, and a day or two later re-read it and
+still didn't end up publishing it. I didn't think it was quite right.
+I liked it well enough, but I was worried other people would judge it.
+
+But here's the irony--as far as I know, I have no readers. Publishing it
+is almost equivalent to shouting into the void.
+
+So why did I care so much?
+
+As I found myself thinking about how I'd revise the original post
+tonight, I realized that maybe this fear of judgment from non-existent
+(but potential future) internet strangers was a much more interesting
+topic to explore than my original musings. So here I am hashing it out.
+
+I think the fear of judgment comes from a mixture of seeing public figures
+have their pasts (preserved in the digital era) come back to haunt them
+combined with observing how readers can react strongly and negatively to
+posts. I don't plan to ever become so famous as to have a blog haunt me,
+nor do I ever expect enough readers to have overwhelmingly unpleasant
+reactions, but the fear still got to me.
+
+But I want to persevere, and that's ultimately what writing this is about.
+I'm not writing for fame or attention. I'm not writing to further my
+career or put it on my resume.
+ I'm writing for me. For the clarity
+I get from expressing my thoughts, and for the joy I get looking back
+at where I was months or years ago.
+
+Why host them publicly? Well, I really enjoy a good tech blog, and
+admire a blogger or two out there. I want to be the change I want to
+see in the internet and migrate from centralized social networks back
+to a decentralized network of personal and self-hosted sites.
+
+And who knows, maybe one day someone will read this and have felt the
+same. I guess I'm writing for that person too.
+
+<!-- {% include=post-tail %} -->
diff --git a/content/thoughts.md b/content/thoughts.md
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
<p style="color:grey">(Because I couldn't commit to calling it a blog)</p>
+* [Oct. 22, 2020: On Writing Without an Audience](10-22-20-on-writing.html)
* [Jul. 19, 2020: Migrating to a Self-Hosted Site](07-19-20-self-hosted.html)
* [Jul. 13, 2020: Black Lives Matter](07-13-20-blm.html)
* [Mar. 24, 2020: What's in a (domain) name?](03-24-20-domain-name.html)
