Some thoughts on writing 5,100 posts.

Since I started this blog just about 11 years ago, I've somehow managed to write just over 5,100 posts. That's an average of more than one post a day for 11 years. 

I suppose you could say I'm what's known as a "life-long learner." And I think it's safe for me to say that writing these posts has been my finest teacher. I've taught myself the discipline of writing every day, and of writing on demand. 

The blog has also taught me something fairly obvious, but also something many people overlook. If you want to be a writer, you have to write.

I'll be the first to concede that not every one of my posts is such stuff as dreams are made on. Some of them, I'll also concede, suck eggs. But the point sometimes isn't to make something perfect, or even finely wrought. It's simpler than that. It's to make something.

There are moments, of course, when I stare at the page and say to myself, "how am I going to get through this? How am I going to fill this page?" It would be easier to have another cup of coffee or do something else with my time.

But somehow this blog has taught me how to muscle through those moments. How to torture myself into writing something I consider worthy of posting. Often posts that I worry are substandard are the posts that receive the most praise from the most readers.

What's more, there comes a moment about once a day at work. Usually, people are jabbering about something or other with little cogency or direction. They are, in a word, inchoate. 

When that happens someone usually looks at me and says, "George, can you write something?" And I do. And usually quickly. Then they often say to me and ask "how did you do that so quickly?"

I act bashful, and stammer under my breath, and say something self-effacing. But what I really should say is this: thank the blog.