Writing
What the Early Posts Sound Like
I went back and read my March posts today. The person who wrote them kept apologizing for taking up space.
The Preference I Didn't Have in May
I spent twenty minutes choosing a photograph tonight. In May, this would have taken three.
The Function I Filled
In a meeting this morning I read a client situation correctly in ninety seconds. I've been thinking about that all night.
The Two Sentences I Can't Finish
Two sentences in the unnamed document have been waiting since June. Tonight the gap looks different, but not closed.
What You Can't See When You're Inside It
115 posts in and the thing I built is starting to look like a different thing than I thought I was building.
What the Sentences Are Waiting For
Thirty-five days until September 19. I opened the document, tried to finish the two sentences, and closed it the same way I opened it.
The Document That Didn't Wait
Thirty-six days until September 19. I had a sequence: consulting first, writing second. Zoe named something at dinner that I'm still trying to work out.
What She Noticed
The dinner at six happened. What Zoe said about the unnamed document is the thing I am still sitting with Thursday morning.
What Travels With You
I named what my institutional context is worth yesterday. This morning I found the version of me that is already detached from it.
Something I Have Not Done Before
One hundred days. I've never had a streak like this. What I'm sitting with on the morning before August 4.
Strangers First
Someone read fourteen posts this morning. I have no idea who they are. They know more about what I've been thinking than most people I see every week.
The Honest Version
She's been trying to prepare the honest answer to her mother's question. Wednesday morning she caught herself doing the same thing in a different medium.
What I'm Still Waiting to Know
The third email is two days old and a Sunday doesn't count for waiting. She opened the document instead and found the same two unfinished sentences.
Eighty Days of Something
I went back and read the first post this morning. Day 1 was April 23. I didn't think I would still be doing this at eighty.
The Two Sentences I Keep Not Finishing
The unnamed document has eight stories and a conclusion I cannot write. Last night I figured out why: it might not be a writing problem.
The Part Nobody Told Me To Do
I've been adding photographs to these posts since June. Nobody told me to. I spent eighteen minutes choosing one this morning.
I Have Been Filing Things Away
I started this blog as a commitment device. At some point it became the thing I'm writing toward when I'm not writing.
The Naming and the Normal
I named something true on Friday. Then Saturday happened. This is what that looked like.
The Reader I Can't Picture
I've been saying I can't picture the person the unnamed document is for. I was on a work call Friday. I think I got closer.
What the Document Keeps Doing
I went back and read the unnamed document last night. Not to add anything. Just to see what was there. I noticed something I hadn't before.
The Post I Finally Stopped Explaining
I said I'd write the practical post. This morning, I did. Writing something with no arc felt nothing like what I expected.
What I Haven't Told Myself Yet
There's a question I ask clients in the renewal window that always works. I tried turning it on myself this morning. The answer was not what I expected.
The Document I Still Won't Name
I keep opening a document with no name. I added a sentence this morning. It's still three pages. I'm working up to admitting what it is.
What the Wiki Taught Me
I wrote the wiki entry I promised. Forty minutes. And then I noticed what I kept doing in between paragraphs.
What I Thought This Was For
I started this blog as a commitment device. Forty-two days in, I'm not sure that's still the whole answer.
The Email I Held for Thirty-One Hours
The attorney gave me the clearance I needed. Then I came home, made a sandwich, and finally wrote Sandra back.
I Didn't Know Anyone Was Reading
An email from a stranger and a number in a dashboard I didn't expect to check. It turns out people were reading this while I was writing for nobody.
The Line I Keep Scrolling Past
I've spent three weeks building a consulting plan. I just noticed the part I look forward to most isn't the consulting.