Social feeds stuffed with videos, streaming television and films, an explosion of digital gaming of all types...this is our Internet now. This has led many pundits to say that the age of the written word is over. They say we are becoming a visual image and spoken word culture once again...modern primitives, in a way.
But here and there, in corners of our digital culture, writing seems to be making a comeback. Or more precisely, writing seems to be appreciated by more and more people for the focus and weight it can offer to our distracted minds and noisy world. These people are the real knowledge workers of today: People who seek to clarify their thinking on topics that matter to them. These thoughts can also be put into the world to help others and influence things for the better. Thoughts that are honed through writing seem to survive better in our chaotic digital culture. We want to find like-minded friends, allies, contacts, and employers. We may even want to find ourselves. For all of these goals, there is no substitute for writing.
Recently, I've been browsing and trying a variety of writing techniques. So far, the ones that have stuck are morning pages and making reading notes in journals. But both of these are background activities. Something is missing.
The missing piece is becoming a daily writer. To that end, I've joined up with the Ship 30 for 30 folks. My fellow writers and I will be sending our Atomic Essays into the world, one a day for the next 30 days.
On my left is the pile of my experience of life. I am knee-deep. I must process it, compost stuff, maybe even uncover something long buried.
On my right is the way forward, but there is no path.
Writing, I will make bricks, one by one. I'll uncover the good stuff in the pile. And brick by brick, I will build a path, even though I don't know where it may lead.