Answering @blewitt: Spontaneous or Engineered

Last night I wrote a rambling piece as I tend to do from time to time and got a question about writing. As they say, there are no stupid questions, which isn't strictly true but at least, this one wasn't.

Probably a completely dumb question (I feel like all those I ask you are) but what makes you decide to write a piece? Your writing are all so detailed and varied yet it seems like you know what the hell you are talking about in each and every one? Do you plan these out or does it just come naturally and spontaneous? - @blewitt

I sit down and freewrite nearly every piece and generally post upon completion. This works better for my schedule which is erratic at best and since I am not much of a planner, the only way I will get anything done. Occasionally I have to ask my wife for time to write our finish some pieces because what starts off as a 'quick piece' can expand rapidly and spill over the time I have available.

When it comes to Steem content (which is often at the moment) the decision is based on what brings value to the audience. I have a lot of smaller accounts that follow and support me and with the complexity of Steem, sometimes it is good to present certain views. It is also useful to get view from the past and possible futures also.

I write about the future a lot and essentially aim to predict what circumstances could evolve into. Even though the future is always unknown, what I like about the blockchain is that it is preserved and I can look back at my track record, as can others. This is going to be an important part of information and personal credibility in the future, I think.

You see? I give my views of the world as I see it and perhaps, maybe, possibly, potentially options that people could use to develop their own thoughts and actions from. We are of course all responsible for who we choose to listen to and the information we act upon and I am nobody's guru. If you benefit or suffer, both sides are yours to own.

Having said that, I don't go out of my way to harm anyone and I don't put forward views that aim to do this, at least for the long-term view of things. I try to look longer than the immediate situation for example with resource credits and the challenges of small users. The situation is temporary but essentially had to happen to get us to a point where new users can on-board with ease and freely. People want to rush, I am generally patient.

Patience, responsibility of the individual and community thinking are common threads through my work, and due to the nature of the system here, are required for most users to not only survive, but thrive. If the content I put forward doesn't have change for the better value for at least one person including myself, it isn't worth putting out there in my opinion and not worth consuming.

However, I also think that when I support people I don't have to benefit from their work directly. I can support people who support other people and the value to me is a stronger future community. Often stake only supports what benefits them and forget that there are people who need to be supported as they provide for audiences that haven't yet learned what they have already.

This is something I see as a problem in the world, we spend a great deal of resources on entertainment but those doing things that actually do good for the world are forced to beg for support. We expect 'good' to be done for free and wonder why there aren't many takers in a world that values material. It would be interesting to change the paradigm and instead pay very well for beneficial social services and see what happens. Teachers and researchers might get a salary bump while athletes and actors take a cut.

I still haven't really answered @blewitt's question though have I? This is the way I write though, there is a spark of inspiration, a tiny thought, image or situation and it becomes a mental catalyst that fires outward in random directions. I never really know where it will take me but each is an exploration of myself as a creator and human.

The reason I sound like I know what I am talking about is likely because of this, in the moment I do. After all, these are my thoughts and if I can't back my own thoughts in the moment, there is something wrong perhaps. Also, I have a relatively large and varied pool of experience to short my thoughts and a personality that tends to observe behaviours and search for patterns and connections that might not be so obvious to everyone.

It is all a lot of fun to write and explore our world and even if we make mistakes or hold incorrect information, the expression of it to the audience can open discussions that can close gaps and improve behaviours. When it comes to ideas, I take the better out than in approach as it gives us the chance to improve before acting upon them or making them habits.

The other thing I do when I write is try to be honest in my views. People think honesty needs to be abrasive but I disagree and in my experience, abrasive people are often just attention seekers looking for validation. This is becoming more true in a world of polarization and personal branding.

Being an asshole isn't a positive trait if it offers nothing that changes the community or conditions for the better and is often these days masturbatory in nature. The "I tell it how it is" idea is BS as at best it is, "I tell it as I understand it". That is okay though, no one need listen and more importantly, react to anyone else.

I am not a writer though and I do not think about the presentation of my content for the audience enough, I don't engineer it or polish it. Often, I don't even read it back after 2 or 3 hours of writing. What I think holds value I my words for others is my own experience and perspective. We often look at an article quality through arbitrary lenses but for me to write what I do has taken me a lifetime to gather, learn, develop and understand.

It doesn't mean it is right or complete of course which is why I push for responsibility of the individual to take all information as questionable and find out for themselves, cross-reference, fill gaps and make it their own.

The stories we hold direct our actions but stories are never the thing, they need to evolve l to continually negotiate with an ever-changing world. We can share our ideas and compound their value by developing common narratives we can all use as loose models to walk forward together and overcome challenge together.

I still didn't answer your questions @Blewitt but hopefully you have an understanding of the process.

Taraz
[ a Steem original ]
_{(posted from phone)}

I started writing this while singing my daughter to sleep for her nap and then as she sleeps. I don't have the luxury of being able to set aside blocks of time to get work done at the moment and I think this is also part of the process.