Spoiler alert: there will be boredom

During our recent (happy, fun) family reunion in Vermont, my dad made the following comment about this blog: “Sometimes I’m not sure why you’re sharing something.”

As he explained, this uncertainty stems from his experience writing newspaper columns, which had a self-confessional style like that of many blogs but also aimed to be broadly entertaining for the paper’s many thousands of readers.

(A quick aside: One of my favorite moments of family life in the 1980s was when, at home one evening, my dad made a joke that none of us laughed at. Disappointed in this reaction, he raised his voice and roared with mock indignation, “Come on, people — you are living with a PROFESSIONAL HUMORIST!” Now that was funny.)

My dad’s implicit critique is correct. For a typical Person on the Internet, this blog is not consistently entertaining. That’s probably true even for my most likely niche audiences, e.g., Seattle-area biologists with kids.

So, then, what’s the point of keeping such a blog?

Well, to a first approximation, it’s a personal diary.

However, I’ve never felt much motivation to write only for myself. I’ve always needed some sort of audience, even if vanishingly small and poorly defined.

Thus, I basically write about things that I personally find interesting and possibly worth remembering, with the hope, but no guarantees, that at least a few others will feel similarly.

Just something to keep in mind when you’re deciding whether to dive into my forthcoming 17-part series on transforming science education with Test Question Templates.

2 responses

  1. Henry Wigglesworth Avatar
    Henry Wigglesworth

    Greg, the answer to why you write your blog is pretty obvious (at least to me): you need to express yourself. You could call it therapy but that implies there is a self-indulgent side to your writing which I don’t see. Rather, your columns (in your dad’s parlance) are disciplined, sharply edited (by yourself I assume) and entertaining. Your dad’s comment, frankly, might reveal a tinge of jealousy. Of course, making a professional humorist jealous is a sign of how good your writing is. I am glad that you share aspects of your life with us.

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  2. Barbara Johnson Avatar
    Barbara Johnson

    My dad was a newspaper writer too. His friends found many of his stories funny. Especially when I was a teen, I almost never laughed. Nevertheless, he was a great dad, and now that I’m older I look for humor wherever I can find it and use it if possible.

    Your dad and mother are people I admire for raising you and your sister so successfully. Your dad has a great sense of humor, like his dad did.

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