Happy New Year! 2026: The Year of Writing to Be Writing

An old, rusted, Underwood typwriter on a metal table outdoors. In the background are folk-art sculptures and steel "trees" with colored glass bottles for branches. Elmer's Bottle Tree Ranch, near Oro Grande, California.
Ancient Writing Machine

Here’s to the start of another year.

My personal goal for the coming year is to spend a part of every day simply “writing to be writing.” Not writing for blog posts, not writing for publication, not writing to anyone in particular. Just putting my butt in the chair and putting words to paper…or whatever you call it.

For the past couple of years I wanted to increase my writing output. I blocked out time. I set up a writing station.

But instead of churning out the words, I spent most of my time Not-Writing. In fact, judging from my success you might think that I was the founder and CEO of Not-Writing Inc. If they gave a Nobel prize for Not-Wordsmithery, I’d surely be the top contender. My literary oeuvre, while massive in the scope of its poverty, doesn’t even have the Zen-like quality that “Not-Writing” hints at. It’s not procrastination or disinterest. It’s simply garden variety not-doing-the-thing, pursued with passive-aggressive fury.

So here I am at the start of 2026, butt in chair, tapping out words on the keyboard, that aren’t really aimed at you, or at anybody, or at anything in particular. Just tapping to be tapping.

And guess what?

I’m writing.

Happy New Year.

Setting sun over a range of mountains with several dead pine trees and a boulder in the foreground.
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