Intentions: Get shit Done. Tell Good Stories.
I’ve wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember. At first, the dream was shaped around authoring novels and intense science fiction. Then it evolved into editorial and essays. Then journalism. Then… I’m not really sure what happened.
The constant was always there though: storytelling.
Over the past decade, though, I’ve made excruciatingly little progress on this passion. At least on the personal front. In place of personal writing, I’ve spent the last 10 years cultivating my career, digging deep into self-discovery, confidence, and development. I’ve achieved some incredible milestones and wins. But the desire to do more is still there, chilling in the background, patiently waiting.
So in 2020, I worked with a friend to develop the logo you see above as a means to incentivize myself to finally make use of this domain for more than just a place to dump a portfolio and a resume.
Now, about three years later, I’m setting intentions (a gentler form of “goal,” less stuffy, fewer KPIs, not as aggressive or pushy) to dig into my natural curiosity and pull forth stories from Real Life™–dispatches from the field.
This will be slow going and I’ll continue to hit potholes along the way (like with regular-ish writing. I own this.). But I’m looking forward to building progress and purpose, to bringing more stories to life, and to finally investing time into myself to write for the sake of writing.
The metrics, the KPIs, the marketing, the views–it will come in time or not at all. It’s not the purpose and it feels good to let go* of that expectation for this work in favor of simply getting started.
What can you expect?
Many things. The intention, for now, is to simply produce.
Years ago, when I was dreaming about being a tough reporter taking on the beats of Chicago or New York (lol.), I was introduced to New Journalism and found that it took the aspects of storytelling, journalism, and essay writing and combined it into a profound style that reset the bounds of being a storyteller.
Today, I follow folks and productions that embrace those values but continue to reshape it and make the format their own–Nora McInerny, The Outside Podcast, Payne Lindsey, Deb Perelman, Padma Lakshmi, Criminal Podcast.
I expect to see myself make my own attempts at carving out my own space, developing my own point of view, and partnering with others to bring their stories forward in ways that help them and myself make it our own. I expect to get shit done. Tell good stories. Write.
When will it all happen?
When time permits. I want to be intentional about holding myself accountable to craft, not timelines. Time is a thief, and she steals a lot of joy, especially when deadlines (especially when self-imposed) are hard-assed and unforgiving.
The intention is to simply do the work when the time permits. Get shit done. Tell good stories. Write.
What am I doing right now?
I’m researching and planning (I’m a strategist, deep in my bones, as much as I’m a writer, deep in my bones), two things that are critical to meeting intentions with intention.
When I came up with the idea for Dispatches, it was fuzzy–and it still is. And that’s okay. What matters is that the idea exists and I’m mapping out the edges and inner workings, figuring out what Dispatches means to me, a writer and storyteller, and what I want it to mean to you, a reader and story seeker.
A short list of action items I’m working through right now:
Researching publications to submit work to
Digging through my large backlog of drafts, notes, ideas, and scribbles
Editing old work that’s kinda done, but needs finessing
Looking for community–creating can’t–shouldn’t–happen in a vacuum
Figuring out what I want consistency to look like for this space
The intention is to get shit done. Tell good stories. Write.
*Debatable. I’m both a writer and a marketer in my bones. There will always be a metric to meet. But maybe–just maybe–this time I can be both stakeholder and producer and set simple expectations: Get shit done. Tell good stories. Write.