Is this thing on?

Hey world. It’s been a minute since I sat down to share my thoughts in longform. Sure, I’ve spent a good amount of time writing down other people’s thoughts as a marketer…but I’ve always found it funny how turning a passion into your career can make you forget why you loved the thing in the first place. For me, that’s writing.

I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember (and hell, even before that). My first “book” was written in third grade — an extremely compelling story about a girl who broke her leg and subsequently got lots of attention at school. It was written in response to my little brother breaking his leg at school and getting lots of attention (deep stuff). It was my first foray into the world of exploring my feelings via the written word. And fittingly, for reasons both emotional and physical, it was called “Ouch!”

Eventually, it was writing that got me in the door for my first real job. When the U.S. Olympic Committee was looking for an eager college student to tackle this new thing called blogging and social media (ugh I feel old), it was my time at the college newspaper writing about the first iPhone release (ugh I am old) that caught the interviewer’s eye. That internship also introduced me to photography, bringing a multimedia element into my storytelling that has stuck around ever since.

So why am I walking down memory lane today? Well, for the first time in years, I’m in a professional role that doesn’t require any creative writing beyond the occasional pithy tagline. After years of ghostwriting op eds for execs, cranking out SEO-optimized blog posts, and endlessly writing and rewriting sales collateral and brand materials, that initially felt like a feature, not a bug.

But after a few months, the feelings started creeping in. I’d walk into a coffee shop and see the person typing away in the corner — and gaze wistfully in their direction, pondering what creative endeavor they’re working on. On a recent trip to Sydney, I wandered into Dymock’s and Milligram and spent an inordinate amount of time poring over the array of notebooks on display (and also debated the merits of different pen types with a friend). I keep aggressively upping my Goodreads goals and mentally critiquing the prose on everything from a wine memoir to the latest romantic fantasy bestseller (those that can’t do…critique, I guess?).

I know, I know. But that’s not what writing is really like, you say. Yes, I’m old and grizzled enough to know that the romantic notion of handwriting your magnum opus in a coffee shop by the fire is just that — a romantic (and unrealistic) notion. Can you imagine the hand cramps handwriting a full-on book? But seriously, I know the reality of writing as a job is more working your ass off by day on whatever freelance gigs you can scrape up (thanks, ChatGPT) then pouring your heart and soul into your book proposal by night, waiting years (or more) for your lucky break. I’m friends with some of the lucky ones; I’m friends with more of the unlucky ones.

One of my mentors once told me, “Writing is a muscle.” It was a throwaway comment at the time, and I don’t even remember why she said it to me. But as I get further from my once-regular writing habit, I can’t shake it from my mind.

If writing is a muscle, I am seriously out of shape.

The only way to get back into shape is to start working out, right? For a few weeks, I’ve been sitting around waiting for some sort of spark of inspiration. I’ve perused some of my old notes and made some half-hearted efforts to restart some abandoned manuscripts. Nothing has really scratched that itch, though, and I know I just need to start doing. I have this tendency to want to have a complete outline on whatever I’m writing before I get started, and it’s been holding me back since it requires a fairly well-baked concept. But getting back in shape has to start somewhere, and that somewhere doesn’t have to be a marathon. Sometimes, it just starts with a resolution and a walk.

So consider this my January 1. I’m that guy at the gym who’s looking around at all the machines like “what have I gotten myself into?” I’m just opening the browser and letting the words flow, whether they’re good or not (and let’s be honest…it’s gonna be a little painful).

Because the business world has beat the practice of setting goals and KPIs into my head over the last two decades, I naturally need to have measurable goals that I share publicly to hold myself accountable. So, world — assuming anyone ever stumbles across this unpromoted corner of the internet — I’m committing to writing something – anything — three days a week for the next month. We’re going to call it 12 posts by Labor Day.

And because I’m also trying to get in actual physical shape, that means you’re all probably in for some really thrilling discussions of half marathon training. Or wine, because despite the fact that it runs counter to the whole getting in shape thing…it’s really fun to learn about (and drink). Or my kids. Or maybe just some random musings on life.

Clearly…it’s going to be a wild ride. Thanks for tagging along!