I had to get over myself to do this project: I mentally picture stepping over myself, who is lying down in the way, waving her arms and objecting feebly, “But what if no one reads it? What if I run out of ideas after three weeks?”
What would I say to anyone else asking me these questions? “What do you lose by not doing it? What do you stand to gain? What is your purpose in doing it?”
I wanted to write these thoughts down in any case, so I have lost nothing if no one reads it. If the blog took off, I would gain respect and a wider network. Neither of these are my purpose, though. I want to share these writings because I think they may be of interest to others, or even help them. Nothing in this blog is a new idea, but perhaps I bring a fresh perspective here or there.
Another purpose is to challenge myself to become more open with my thoughts and opinions. I have plenty of them, and I want to become more comfortable sharing them. Often, I remain quiet because I don’t feel qualified enough to comment; I have a horror of spreading incorrect information (a problem 80% of the world doesn’t seem to have).
Given past experiences I am also wary of being drawn into conversation with aggressive devil’s advocates or, worse, people who believe they’re completely right. Growing up queer and liberal in southern Indiana will do that. But I don’t owe anyone an argument and I can learn ways to withdraw from the conversation and hold my boundaries.
Aside: Also, I think I'm moderately funny sometimes, and I don't want to deprive the world of that.