Putting words in my mouth, and on my screen
People say things to me.
Among the most common — this happened again last week at the grand opening of the Fox Cities Exhibition Center — is "How do you like retirement?"
That question comes my way pretty much every week.
Well, ... about that.
Don't know. Not retired. Won't be for a while. Still happily, gainfully employed.
You'll be among the first to know when I take up more frequent residence in Oconto County.
Another thing I hear a lot is "I miss you in the paper."
That's a really kind thing to say, and I deeply appreciate it.
The truth is ... I miss me in the paper, too. Maybe for different reasons.
Did it for most of 34 years, and that's a hard habit to break.
There's a lot to miss.
The need to be creative and stay fresh.
The struggle to relevant and interesting, and sometimes reaching that goal.
The pressure of squeezing writing time between meetings and phone calls and meetings and visitors and meetings and meetings.
The feedback from readers who appreciated my perspective, and the feedback from readers who wished I were in another profession.
The opportunity to tell great stories about people in our region.
The opportunity to share opinions in the pre-social media era. Believe me, it was a different and more sedate and halcyon time.
I could (and might, at some point) go on and on and on.
Anyhow.
Been thinking a lot about how to get back in the game, so to speak.
I’ve written several long-form pieces on what the kids call “The Facebook.” Many of those pieces have gotten heartfelt (I think) positive response, and that’s encouraged me to write more often.
But not on The Facebook.
I’ve had a blog for a couple years now, but my commitment to creating content for that blog has not been there at the same time.
The commitment is there now, for a few reasons.
One, the ability to be more creative in story formats.
Two, a chance to experiment with ad-supported writing, which works well if enough readers enjoy and share the content.
Yes, I also miss getting paid to write a column. It’s not likely this foray into crass commercialism will lead to an independently wealthy lifestyle, and that’s OK.
Three, it’s good to own it.
I’ll be posting links to this blog on Facebook, hoping you’ll like what you’ve read enough to share it.
Which hasn’t happened yet. Thanks for asking.
Also, thanks for the consideration.
And thanks for sharing.
Among the most common — this happened again last week at the grand opening of the Fox Cities Exhibition Center — is "How do you like retirement?"
That question comes my way pretty much every week.
Well, ... about that.
Don't know. Not retired. Won't be for a while. Still happily, gainfully employed.
You'll be among the first to know when I take up more frequent residence in Oconto County.
Another thing I hear a lot is "I miss you in the paper."
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| Grandson Matt created this and brought it to my office before I left The P-C in 2014. |
The truth is ... I miss me in the paper, too. Maybe for different reasons.
Did it for most of 34 years, and that's a hard habit to break.
There's a lot to miss.
The need to be creative and stay fresh.
The struggle to relevant and interesting, and sometimes reaching that goal.
The pressure of squeezing writing time between meetings and phone calls and meetings and visitors and meetings and meetings.
The feedback from readers who appreciated my perspective, and the feedback from readers who wished I were in another profession.
The opportunity to tell great stories about people in our region.
The opportunity to share opinions in the pre-social media era. Believe me, it was a different and more sedate and halcyon time.
I could (and might, at some point) go on and on and on.
Anyhow.
Been thinking a lot about how to get back in the game, so to speak.
I’ve written several long-form pieces on what the kids call “The Facebook.” Many of those pieces have gotten heartfelt (I think) positive response, and that’s encouraged me to write more often.
But not on The Facebook.
I’ve had a blog for a couple years now, but my commitment to creating content for that blog has not been there at the same time.
The commitment is there now, for a few reasons.
One, the ability to be more creative in story formats.
Two, a chance to experiment with ad-supported writing, which works well if enough readers enjoy and share the content.
Yes, I also miss getting paid to write a column. It’s not likely this foray into crass commercialism will lead to an independently wealthy lifestyle, and that’s OK.
Three, it’s good to own it.
I’ll be posting links to this blog on Facebook, hoping you’ll like what you’ve read enough to share it.
And I might even write in retirement.
Which hasn’t happened yet. Thanks for asking.
Also, thanks for the consideration.
And thanks for sharing.