I’ve been having trouble writing and reading online lately. Thankfully, it’s not my eyesight, keeping my head up, or anything else of a physical nature. Rather, it’s that the sheer number of blogs, websites, and online material has officially overwhelmed me. When the number of blogs in the world possibly reached 100 million, it all came together for me. Even my most favorite blogs, which are mostly of a technical nature and are lovingly written and thoughtfully presented, overwhelm.
I believe this is part of the inherent overwhelm many of us are now feeling because of the 24 hour onslaught of media motion. I can now see how some of the best early bloggers decided to throw in the towel at a certain point; writing requires a discipline that is only outwardly rewarded these days by either money or fame. Without these, internal motivation must be very strong. It’s not like the Hemingway days, when writing was a risky passion fueled by artistry and self-examination because the educated were fewer and farther between. The art and craft of writing these days seems to be slightly misplaced, lost amidst HTML clutter and the urge to reveal without analysis.
But this does nothing to make me feeling better about writing and reading online, at least for now. So, I’m pulling it back together, rethinking my writing strategies, and preparing for it all anew. I’m not giving up. I’m just thinking out loud.