Why write?
I’m selfish.
Humans are terrible at comparing themselves to the average - everyone claims to be a better-than-average driver, yet we all suck at driving - so I don’t know if I’m more or less selfish than your neighbor or mother or boss.
But I do know that I write because it makes me feel better than when I don’t write. That’s selfish.
So I started a newsletter. Why? Mostly to provide a forcing-function to get me to write more consistently. That’s also selfish. The subject of my essays will vary, but I like to use writing as a mirror to explore the mistakes I’ve made along with some things I actually got right. These are the sort of things I’d teach to my younger self if only the little bastard would listen.
With this newsletter, my writing will reach more eyeballs and brains than it would if I feverishly chicken-scratched it into a dusty notebook. And studies have shown (citation needed) that reading can also make you feel good.
So if I make one person feel good today, that’s less selfish.
And being less selfish is good (I’ve heard).