Making Plans

As Robert Burns wrote:
The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men
Gang aft agley,
An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain,
For promis’d joy!

As I’ve posted on this blog more than once, I intend to write more regularly in this space. But, since I keep failing in keeping that commitment to myself, I’m going to try a new approach.

I have a task-tracking app that I use regularly, and I’m setting a recurring task to write a post once a week. I’ll draft my posts on Sunday and then schedule them to be viewable on Wednesday. I’m hoping that schedule will give me a little more time and flexibility to get the posts up.

I’m also going to schedule certain topics for each week. That way, I’ll be able to take off some of the pressure to be clever, witty, or profound.

At present, this is the topic schedule I envision following:

First Wednesday – Recommendations from the past month
This could be recommendations of any kind, from books and video games, TV and music suggestions to food, shopping, or gadgetry. Whatever really wows me is what I’ll share. And, I’ll also note if something has truly disappointed me (but I’ll try to keep this to a minimum).

Second Wednesday – Current events
I want to keep this to just a small portion of this blog because I know that when I get on my soapbox, I sometimes struggle to get down. Plus, there are enough other hot takes and bloviating jackasses on the web. By trying to focus on other topics, perhaps this will be a pleasant place to visit.

Third Wednesday – Writing-related topics
This could again be gadgetry or recommendations. But, these posts might also be some heartfelt struggles with the writing life, celebrating an accomplishment, or some tips that I think others might find useful.

Fourth Wednesday – Grab bag
My grab bag topics will give me an excuse to circle back to something that really wowed me or to discuss a current event that I feel I can’t ignore. I’m also interested in hearing from folks who read my blog if they have any topics they’d like me to discuss.

Fifth Wednesday – ???
This month has a fifth Wednesday, but most won’t. In looking at my calendar, the next month with five Wednesdays will be August 2023 with a second in November 2023. On the rare occasions when one occurs, I might or might not post. Only time and tides shall tell.

As I’m typing this, I have Xander cuddled in my sweatshirt, which makes typing more difficult than one might want. I’ll drop a photo below so you can be overwhelmed by the cuteness.

In the coming weeks and months, I’m hoping to be more active in spaces like Discord and on the https://4thewords.com website. I’ve updated my “About” page with some info on finding me in both spaces.

I’ve been off Facebook for close to a year or more after being hacked there. With Twitter turning into even more of a cesspool, I’m interested in moving to either Mastodon or Hive.social, but I’d like to learn more about both and see where other writerly and artistic folks I’m connected to decide to land.

May your holiday season—however you celebrate—be a time of love, laughter, and warmth. May your festivities build memories that sustain you on the harder days that life sends your way.