“Why not just write all this crap in a journal?”
Great Question.
Well, I have and I do. I’ve journaled avidly for 15 years. The stack of C.B. Gibson leather-bound books sits in storage in Anchorage, Alaska, filled with emotional downpours, sprawling thoughts, and attempts at Gothic cathedrals. I have journaled a good deal and it is good for my health (and probably, yours as well), but writing in public (publishing) provides a different benefit.
In journaling, putting thoughts on paper IS the benefit. We can visualize it schematically:
Journaling → Releasing unprocessed crap → ReliefBut what if the goal is clarity?
Yes. Journaling does help you find some clarity, especially if you revisit your notes. In 2021, I began revisiting my journals (which were in a google doc by then) and commenting on them with dated annotations. By 2024, I was responding to my comments of my comments… of my comments. It served as fantastic hindsight review, and provided me with some clarity, but writing publicly demands a different level of effort. You have to sift through the ideas in your head and sort them, simplify them, and craft them into a point. In publishing, I’m trying to write something clear — not just true to me, also legible to others.
We can visualize publishing schematically:
Publishing → Sifting through unprocessed crap → Clarity In addition, writing in public provides an avenue for feedback, which can loop and provide further clarity.
Publishing → Sifting through unprocessed crap → Clarity → Feedback → Reevaluation → Deeper ClarityIn summary:
Why I write: To find clarity on the ideas that matter most to me.
Why I publish: Because public writing forces me to sift, simplify, and sharpen — creating clarity I can’t achieve alone.
Ideally, these essays — and any conversation they spark — will help both you and me live more intentionally.
Colin