Thanks, Jenn

I’ve had a website for several years—www.geoffwisner.com—but I’ve been ambivalent about starting a blog. I already keep a journal, which has been going for more than 25 years now, and I’m still not sure whether that’s a good idea. Hemingway didn’t believe in keeping a journal, apparently on the theory that it was a distraction from a writer’s real work. On the other hand, everything Thoreau achieved grew out of his Journal, and I am coming to the conclusion that the Journal itself, all 14 volumes of it, might have been his masterpiece. For me, keeping a journal seems to be a matter of making sure there’s still some water running through the pipes, that the expressive part of myself doesn’t get completely clogged up.

So why start a blog? I suppose because there are times when writing to yourself just isn’t enough. You want to put a thought out there for someone to see, even if it’s not entirely formed, or send someone to a great article or a useful website or an inspiring quotation. I remember when my partner Jenn told me I should get an email address. I couldn’t imagine what possible use it would be to send messages to people over the Internet. Now, of course, I can’t imagine what I would do without email. So thanks for that, Jenn, and thanks for getting me started with this blog. Let’s see what happens.