Tag: blogging

Categories
family

All the Sordid Details

Cartoon of a boy with a laptop. He says to his mom, "I'm writing a blog. Does your family or Dad's have all the sordid details?"

I had the privilege to ride with my father for the previous two days. We talked about various things from politics, to crazy drivers, to advice about finishing life’s race well.

No, there we didn’t discuss sordid details. Oh, and I know there are unsavory stories from the past, but we didn’t discuss them. Every family has skeletons in the closet. If you are interested in genealogy at all, you’ll soon find them.

One of the many lessons I’ve learned from my parents over the years is to stay positive. Whenever I would get down, my mother was there to say, “Keep looking up!” Whenever I would say something unkind, she would recite, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another.“ You can’t do too much mudslinging, insulting and roasting with that reminder.

So that’s why I take the opposite approach to the boy in my cartoon. I’ve had two great examples that have reminded me there is a much more excellent way to speak than to air someone’s dirty laundry.

Cartoon of a boy at a computer. He says to his mom, "I'm writing a blog. Does your family or Dad's have the most sordid details?"
Categories
writing

Observations From Blogging Every Day for a Month

Illustration of a guy on a surfboard. He is using a laptop.

Last month, I decided to see what would happen if I committed to posting a blog every day. I have enjoyed reading Seth Godin’s blog over the years and was impressed with how he has kept up a daily blog for years.

Now that I’ve reached one month of daily blogging, this is what I have observed:

  • Once you get started, writing consistently at the same time every day is easier than writing in spurts.
    • I should have known this! It’s the same deal with physical exercise!
  • Creativity fuels more creativity.
  • Using a content calendar really works.
    • It works as an idea generator.
    • It beats a blank page.
    • It empowers you when you have two weeks of ideas laid out.
  • It has given me a way to revisit my old cartoons and illustrations.
  • I find I am writing just as much for myself as opposed to someone else.
  • It is better to write short posts regularly than to post a larger post occasionally.
  • Releasing a minimally viable product applies to blog posts too.
    • It doesn’t have to be perfect.
    • To have an impact, it needs to get out the door.

I am enjoying this project. We’ll see how far it goes. Thank you for participating by reading my posts!

Categories
motivation writing

Don’t Let Your Knowledge Die With You!

Beach sunset on the Gulf of Mexico

My father-in-law passed away three years ago. My favorite times with him were our nonstop drives to Florida. On a few occasions, it was just the two of us in the van. Other times, we would keep each other awake while the crew slept away. He would talk about his adventures as a young man, the challenges of farming and his observations on life, faith, and politics.

One early morning near Dothan, Alabama, he was telling me a story about his first car, a 1957 Chevy Bel Air. He was lamenting how he wished he still had that car. I said, “You should write all this down. Your grandkids would love to hear this!”

He replied, “Nah! Nobody would want to read what I’ve written. It’s just everyday, common sense.”

I disagreed with him then. And today, I wish more than ever he would have heeded my advice. What he thought was just average, boring life in twentieth-century Ohio could have been a fascinating read to his great-grandchildren one day.

It makes me wonder what my great-grandparents were like. What was it like in nineteenth-century Indiana? What was it like for one of them to flee North Carolina because he was a Quaker and was threatened because he was against slavery? What was it like for another of my ancestors to survive the Civil War, The Battle of Stones River, and the Andersonville Prison Camp? Did some of my other ancestors have experiences that would have fascinated me?

I think about it when I write in my journal or type away at a blog entry. Maybe my life doesn’t seem exciting to me. Perhaps my observations look mundane to me. But I’ll keep writing. I’ll let the next generation determine that. I’m going to keep writing for myself, and maybe the generations following me.