One Year Later

It's been just over a year since I started this blog. I thought this might be a good time to pause, reflect, and ask myself a few questions...

1. Why do I do it?

Why, on my day off, do I stumble out of bed an hour before Loretta, rack my brain for something to write about, contort my body to reach the keyboard over the cat in my lap (Excuse me, Zorra!)—all to produce a few miserable paragraphs that practically no one is interested in reading?

Because I need to write.

Both of Loretta's brothers build things—beautiful things—out of wood. They take great pleasure in finding just the right kind of wood, cutting it into pieces, and assembling those pieces into whatever objects they have pictured in their minds. In much the same way, I derive pleasure from finding the right words and assembling them into the sentences and paragraphs that will best convey my thoughts.

2. Yes, but why a blog?

Like most writers, I once dreamed of writing the "Great American Novel." (It was to have been set in my hometown of Fort Wayne, Indiana, and to have featured the French and Indian war hero after whom the city is named, General "Mad" Anthony Wayne, who, finding himself mysteriously transported into the present day, takes a job impersonating himself in historical re-enactments.) I have written short stories and plays—even a few poems—but I don't think I could ever write a novel. In the words of one of my favorite writers, Ray Bradbury, "I'm a sprinter, not a marathon runner."

Another dream I once had was to follow in the footsteps of my favorite newspaper humorists: Mike Royko, Erma Bombeck, Dave Barry, Dr. Gott. (What do you mean, Dr. Gott isn't a humorist? Have you read his columns on constipation?) As newspaper columnists—and newspapers—seem to be going the way of the dodo, a blog would seem to be the next best thing. The question was, did I have the discipline to write a weekly blog?

Apparently I did. However, the question now is...

2. How long can I keep it up?

Watch it! This isn't that kind of blog. I mean, of course, how long can I keep writing this blog?

I don't know. The Internet is littered with hundreds of thousands of abandoned blogs whose readers—and writers—simply lost interest. Don't be surprised if my regular weekly ramblings become increasingly irregular (as Dr. Gott might say) until they dwindle away to nothing. For now, I'll keep trying to come up with something new to write about each week.

Now if you'll excuse me, Zorra. I need to hit the Enter key.