I really miss being able to concentrate. If the reader might notice, most of the posts in the last four years are very short. A thought comes to mind to quit using computers during my time off so that I may gather my thoughts more efficiently and perhaps provide the reader with more entertaining fodder.
But giving up the use of computers at any time is very difficult for me. I could easily give up my phone as it does nothing but sit on my hip. No one calls, and I could talk to my wife through the computer with better results at times than the telephone. My life permanently on the other side of a computer screen is nearly unimaginable.
Being an amateur software designer/developer and a professional systems administrator, it is very hard to put thoughts of "what if..." out of my mind. I read about systems and rebuild things almost every day. It takes that to be better at what I do with every iteration at work. I rarely think of much else, and wouldn't have anything to write of if I didn't do what I do.
I find myself lately writing about not writing. It's a good exercise to sit down and just write, as many writing classes always begin. No matter if you think you don't have anything to write - just write: "I don't have anything to write." Then elaborate. It starts just like that.
Sometime I may begin to try posting at least once every day here on the blog and see what comes of it. Every day for, say, a week, and if it's working out I'll keep it for a month. We should see how that goes. I'll tag them with OPPD, for One Post Per Day. If I can post at least something genuine once per day for a week I will claim to have accomplished something.
Okay, the rules.
I'm a design and planning freak. I like to know how it could be done, and the likelihood of outcomes with each scenario. I picture things in my head a lot before I do something. So if I'm going to make the attempt at posting every day, I need to furnish at least the semblance1 of a plan. Here are some thoughts: I will likely make posts from my laptop in Atlanta, and they may be about the day, news events, or (the most likely case) simply start with "There's nothing to write about today...." I will make reminder items on my calendar that will tell me to write. There is no topic I can't write about - an instructional post on system administration is perfectly acceptable, as is a post about the royal wedding (probably the least likely to come to my attention).
I could make notes about something with my phone. Pictures from the day's events could draw more words out of me for the posts. I like taking pictures. I need to ride my bike or run more, so getting out to grab pictures and thoughts is probably a good way to seed blog posts.
I see that this hasn't actually been a bulleted set of rules, and that's good. My life must be flexible, and I want it known that I haven't committed to this yet. There is no start date specified. I remember committing to reading every non-reference book in my library in 2005. That got nowhere. I read one book, and I can't remember much at all about The Time Machine because I read it so fast. It really didn't count as reading.
But I do want to write more and write better. I want to try the one-post-per-day event. I suppose the first post tagged with "OPPD" will signify my commitment. We'll see how long my interest lasts.
Notes:
1. I just realized that I have never before typed the word 'semblance' but have only used it in speech. I happened to get the spelling and the use of the word correct.
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