Who am I writing for? Why am I writing? Am I really trying to build an audience, or am I just experimenting? Maybe I’ve already hit the Dip.
I enjoy writing. I enjoy synthesizing information and connecting ideas. As of right now, however, I’m not getting feedback on it. My friends and family read it, maybe, but they don’t offer feedback. It’s not really written for them. What do I want to use this blog for? It has been fun to set up and to learn about web development. I will probably set up my own home server because of it.
What would it take to be a great writer? Do I want to do what it takes to be a great writer? I don’t know what it takes. Cal Newport would tell me to clarify what it means and what it will take. I look up to many great non-fiction writers. They all have something to write about though. An expertise. I get the sense that it’s similar to starting a business. To really provide value, you have to have some sort of expertise. I am not an expert in anything yet. Maybe I could connect different ideas to explore new territory - like Genpei Yokoi (name?) did with technology to create handheld gaming devices for Nintendo.
I have some knowledge of public education, Buddhism, parenting, and productivity/self-improvement/time-management. Could I connect ideas from all of those? One Buddhist idea, relate it to teaching, parenting, or self improvement.
Let’s go back and reverse engineer though. Why do I want to write? What’s my vision here? Let’s get creative.
Writing = good. It is good to write and edit, but it has to have utility. What could I use writing for that would benefit other people, too? I could document my teaching decisions, my lesson planning, and my plan for this year. That would help me plan, connect ideas, and maybe it would help another new teacher, too. I could plan, reflect on the planning by writing, then post it to my website. Work with the garage door open.
I’ve been reflecting on why I chose to start writing. I was inspired to start a blog because all of my role models write and have blogs and email newsletters. But they all have something I don’t - expertise. Instead of pretending like I know what I’m talking about, I am going to use this medium to help me gain the knowledge and expertise I need to truly provide value.
Moving forward I am only going to write about teaching. More specifically, I am going to use this blog to document my plan for next school year, reflect on my teaching beliefs, and summarize education-related content. I am going to “work with the garage open” and this blog will be the garage. Feel free to pop in and take a gander if you’re interested, and if it’s not for you, no biggie! It will be of very little use to you if you’re not a teacher. It may not even be useful if you are a teacher.
Thanks for reading.