Nine reasons why I write:

  1. to clarify my thoughts to myself.
  2. to clarify my thoughts to others.
  3. to ensure that there is a record of my life and thoughts for myself in the future.
  4. to ensure that there is a record of my life and thoughts for when I am gone.
  5. because writing occupies me and keeps me company when I am lonely, sad, trying to think through something, or avoiding thinking about something.
  6. to express my politics and make others think.
  7. because Aaron Swartz said to.
  8. to connect the dots of my life: to link theory with practice, to make order out of disconnected events, and to dig more deeply into my experiences.
  9. because in third grade I decided that I was a writer and that declaration of identity never stopped echoing inside me.

Three guidelines for Summeralities:

  1. Write at least two things of substance every month.
  2. Never publish anything without giving at least a day’s worth of thought.
  3. But don’t delay long. Keep your FILDI strong.

What is this place?

Nearly eight months ago, I made the choice to resurrect a habit of regular writing via this previously neglected blog.1 I published We’re not as pretty as the dragonflies. It’s still one of my favorites. It captures the start of a pivotal moment of excitement and uncertainty in my life that is still unfolding—a personal January. It was an appropriate moment to return to writing—a habit that for me is equal parts contemplation and record-keeping.

Since then I’ve written (more or less) two pieces every month. Some have been more substantial than others. Many have been more personal; a few have been more political; most have had elements of both. Nearly everything I’ve written has been without conclusion. That’s the kind of writer I seem to be. I explore. I organize. I rarely develop anything solid enough to carve in stone.

I try not to write much about writing itself. Writing is not my profession, nor do I practice it regularly enough to be an expert. When I write about writing it tends to be recursive and self-indulgent without being interesting. There are always exceptions.

I wanted to write about writing today, because I need to affirm it: Writing is important to me. It always has been. But it has always been a struggle to keep my mind on it. I need the guidelines. I need to discipline myself when I don’t set aside time for it. I need the encouragement of a supportive audience—even if it’s small. If you’ve ever talked to me about my writing here… I can’t express how grateful I was to know you read it. Thank you for accompanying me on my journeys. I’ve never been much of a journaler. I need to know someone besides me will see these words.

Most of all, I need to quell the perfectionist in me. It’s strange to refer to any part of myself as a perfectionist, because nothing I have ever done is perfect or even close. Truthfully, I live and create fairly haphazardly. Still, fear of imperfection has killed enough of my ideas. For a long time I didn’t trust my own words. I dedicated a lot of time to relaying and canonizing the words of others because I preferred them to relying on my own. I know that nothing I ever write will be as good as it is in my head. I need to remember to write it anyway.

Then, if it’s good, or good enough, I put it here. I expose it to the sunshine. That’s what this place is.

  1. The previous iteration of Summeralities was started in July of 2011 with On Writing. That post could be considered the prequel to this one. When I brought Summeralities in for remodel in August 2014, I found that I had only written four essays in the intervening two years. 

Summeralities doesn’t have a commenting system, but I love getting feedback, thoughts, questions, and ideas. Please do send those to me! harris@chromamine.com. ♥

Read next: Notes on Ferguson in journal

or previously: The Web I Dreamt in journal