Justin Blanton, in a piece about moving away from WordPress:
Frankly, I’m just tired of having to upgrade WordPress (and then make all of my little one-off modifications each time I upgrade), tired of having to manage memory on the web server, tired of having to think about whether something I do is going to break the site in some fatal way that I simply don’t have the time these days to fix. The list goes on and on and on. I just want to write.
Chris Bowler, on writing tools:
But tools can only go so far. In the end, it comes down the writer. In writing, the friction that has to be dealt with the most is that which takes place in your head. Not from your tools. A good writer can change thoughts, opinions and even worlds, regardless of the tool or platform used.
I’ve been thinking a lot about this over the last few weeks, but not just about blogging platforms specifically.
Take notebooks, for example. Over the last year, I’ve filled nine Field Notes notebooks. Before Field Notes, I had failed at journaling over and over.
So, does having a little notebook in my pocket make me more prone to journal? Sure, but it’s still up to me to get it out and write. I still have to find the time and energy and will and patience to do it.
The fact is, that most of those nine notebooks aren’t filled with “journaling,” but rather meeting notes, outlines for article ideas, diagrams for network closets and other miscellaneous things. In fact, Day One has recently become the hub of my journaling, not my Field Notes.
I’m not sure what my point is here, but the relationship between writing and tools for writing is endlessly fascinating to me. Surely having a good workflow with minimal friction makes writing easier, but does easier writing equal better writing?