Dead Letter

For years, I’ve flirted with the idea of starting a blog. Why haven’t I? A few reasons. Principally, I’ve convinced myself that blogging is outdated. No one I know reads any blogs, and I know several people. That’s another reason. However, I think the second reason is weaker than the first because there’s a chance people I know do read blogs but have never shared this fact about themselves with me. And to be fair, I’ve never asked anyone if they do. The reason for that goes back to my initial excuse for never having started a blog. Asking someone nowadays if they read/are subscribed to any blogs would be, for me, like asking them if they use a pager. I take for granted that blogging is a thing of the past, and perhaps I’m a little insecure about seeming earnest in inquiring whether people regularly utilize what I consider an archaic means of gathering information or achieving entertainment.

I’m hardly original. I rip off a lot of people and call it being inspired. I say this because I’m starting this blog thanks to “inspiration.” Mark Fisher had a blog, Dennis Cooper has a blog. Many writers I admire are active on Substack, but I’m too insecure about my thoughts and my writing to attempt to develop a following on there. Plus, if I were to operate primarily on Substack, I know I’d be doing so solely to earn the attention of those I’m inspired by rather than being motivated by a desire to write. Since blogging is “outdated,” there’s little chance anyone I’m artistically or professionally intimidated by will stumble upon this, so the pressure is off. This blog is for me. It’s an exercise in accountability. I’m sure it will evolve into something more cohesive as time goes on.