On Writing

For being an article on writing, this will be short.

Writing is hard. The longest stretch on continual writing I've ever had, is when I deployed to Guantanamo Bay in 2020. Before I left, My father, Pat Helmers, gave me a Rite in Rain notebook. These are a waterproof notebook meant for field use. I was first exposed to them at basic training. It was one of the few items our drill sergeant actively endorsed. After buying a memo pad, I accidentally washed it. And it held together. But, I'm not here to talk about notebooks.

He further provided me with prompts. Dad, being a Stoic, provide these three questions from the philosopher Epictetus:

1. What did you do well today?
2. What did you do poorly?
3. What should I do to become a better version of myself?

I wrote nearly every day for a year. But then I came home. I got busy. I got tired. I pickup that notebook a handful of times each year, and I'm never upset about it. I want to write more. In November, there's groups that really encourage you to write, like the folks at writingmonth.org. This grew out of the now defunct NaNoWriMo that focuses on writing novels. This newer iteration is more inclusive of different types of writing. Short form, long form, poetry, etc... It's all good!

I'm going to use them as inspiration, and see if I can get back to it. This post is a good start.