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My Blog to Your Blog : Dissent

We’re doing a little series of short posts on why you probably shouldn’t blog. And if you insist on blogging as I have with my blog, this series will expose everything you should first consider before you start your blog. Questions welcome in an email.

Featured Download: I’ve summarized this whole series into a checklist for you to consult before you start your blog or blog out in the open.

DISSENT

 

Before you start that blog, don’t.

Just don’t.

Dissent against your mind’s impulse and do not start that blog. Of the twelve blogs I started, I should have never started the first eleven before I arrived at this — my blog.

Okay maybe you could start a blog, but in general no – you probably shouldn’t start a blog. For one, anything we humans choose to do should aspire toward the higher forms: love, beauty, honesty, courage. The War of Art by Pressfield talks about every possible barrier that opposes our high and noble callings, but those callings – that desire for greatness – should change the posture we take toward everything we do.

To not do trivial or trite or petty things.

To spend our time in worthwhile pursuits.

Most blogs fall into the first category. And the systems they create reinforce that problem.

 

Dissent Against Blogs in General

 

Again, speaking generally, most blogs do not rise to the level of art, innovation, or therapy for the hurting. I’m not saying blogs can’t do that, certainly some can and do, but in general the immediacy created by that shiny orange “Publish” button negates anything good we might have, could have, would have created through reflection, care, practice, and overall time at task.

Urgency does violence to importance.

That’s why four-year elections change little in the overall trajectory of America. They’re urgent, but the truly important things stay both hidden and ignored by the general populace. We leave the fate of important issues up to a handful of people who actually keep changing the world over the long, slow haul.

Dissent Against Your Blog, Specifically
( as I have with my blog )

It’s the same with blogging: if you don’t have a solid end-game, some cohesive vision in mind beyond, “Hey, I think I’ll publish that,” then don’t. For all that’s good and holy, do not start a blog. It’s noisy enough around here, my blog included sometimes. It’s hard for blogs to ascend to the level of art or culture creation or innovation, harder than nearly any other medium because it’s a medium based on immediacy and disposable content. You can only hang so many urinals and trash bags and Campbell’s Soup cans on the wall before they’re not art anymore, they’re just what they were:

Junk.

If you’re thinking that a blog’s best for selling your services or book, email marketing remains the best route.

“What? Email, Lance?! That’s so 1988.”

Yeah, well, electric vehicles are so 1988 and they’re not going anywhere any time soon.

If you’re thinking you should just “get your thoughts out there,” you’re right: you should. You do need to find your voice – giving people a voice is one of the quests I’ve dedicated my life to. You should find your voice by writing or speaking often.

That in mind, when it comes to finding your voice: learn to whisper before you choose to shout. At this point, someone will say, “Even the fool is thought wise if he keeps his mouth shut,” and that someone would be right. However, this is not a good reason to believe, “I need to have something to say before I can write or before I can speak or before I can create or even before I blog.” You should simply practice your craft in private or in a controlled environment like an invite-only private blog or in a critique group during a great MFA program or in a blog under a pseudonym that you delete or archive posts.

Did you know that I’ve taken down over a thousand posts over the years on this blog alone? When you count the blogs I’ve deleted, I’ve removed more posts on a magnitude of order than I’ve let remain in the public eye. There are only 600 posts on this blog but in total, I’ve probably deleted or put into draft mode around 6,000 across the various blogs I’ve hosted over the years.

A public blog makes for a rather crowded and vulnerable sandbox for the adolescent creator.

Dissent Against That Particular Blog Post

The majority of bloggers post on impulse. I’ve seen people post as a reaction to some other post, as stream-of-consciousness, as an immediate share of something they didn’t take time to digest, and even from something that happened some ten minutes before the post. Here’s my dissent against that post you’re writing:

Will the post go from conception to live in under three hours?

If so, don’t write that post. Dissent against the impulse.

 

 


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  1. Before You Start That Blog: Intro | Lancelot Schaubert

    […] Dissent […]

  2. gingerfightback

    Did you think about posting this before pressing publish!

    1. lanceschaubert

      Haha, yes. It’s been on the doc for a few months marinating. Which will be another post…

Quick note from Lance about this post: when you choose to comment (or share this post with your friends) you help other readers just like you.

How?

Well, see, your comments & sharing whisper a few things to those who come after you:

The first is that this site is a safe place to speak up & stay curious. That it's civil. That discussion is encouraged. That there's no such thing as a stupid question (being a student of Socrates, I really and truly believe this). That talking to one another and growing together is more important than anything we could possibly publish. That the point is growing in virtue and growing together and growing wise. That discovery is invention, deference is originality, that we all can rise together. The only folks I'm going to take comments down from are obvious jerks who argue in bad faith, don't stay curious, or actively make personal attacks. And, frankly, I'd rather we talk here than on some social media farm — I will never show ads and the only thing I'm selling anywhere on the site or my mailing list is just the stuff I make.

You're also helping folks realize that anything you & they build together is far more important than anything you come to me to read. I take the things I write about seriously, but I don't take myself seriously: I play the fool, I hate cults of personality, and I also don't really like being the center of attention (believe it or not). I would much rather folks connect because of an introduction I've made or because they commented with one another back and forth and then build something beautiful together. My favorite contributions have been lifelong business and love partnerships from two people who have forgotten I introduced them. Some of my closest friends NOW I literally met on another blog's comment section fifteen years ago. I would love for that to happen here — let two of you meet and let me fade into the background.

Last, you help me revise. I'm wrong. Often. I'm not embarrassed to admit it or worried about being cancelled or publicly shamed. I make a fool out of myself (that's sort of the point). So as I get feedback, I can say, "I was wrong about that" and set a model for curious, consistent learning, and growing in wisdom. I'm blind to what I don't know and as grows the island of my knowledge so grows the shoreline of my ignorance. It's the recovery of innocence on the far end of experience: a child is in a permanent state of wonder. So are the wise: they aren't afraid of saying, "I don't know. That's new: please teach me." That's my goal, comments help. And I read all reviews: my skin's tough, but that's not license to be needlessly cruel. We teach one another our habits and there's a way to civilly demolish an idea without demolishing another person: just because I personally can take the world's meanest 1-star review doesn't mean we should teach one another how to be crueler on the internet.

For three magical reasons — your brave curiosity, your community, & my ignorance:

Please comment & share with friends how you prefer to share:

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