Am I Too Old To Write Good Blogs?

On October 31st, 1993 I saw Nirvana live at the JAR arena in Akron, Ohio. Front row center with my ribcage smashed up against the metal barrier. It was so intense that the girl next to me (whom I didn’t know) begged me to help her get out. There was no escape. So I lifted her over the barrier and handed her off to the line of bouncers.

It was called the mosh pit or simply “the pit” that accompanied a lot of concerts at the time. 

The show was amazing, Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, and Dave Grohl were in rare form. It was Halloween, so we were in for a special treat ( Cobain coming out dressed like Barney the dinosaur, Krist a zombie disco dancer, and Grohl as Slash from GNR), they even tossed candy to us from the stage. And although it was snowing to beat all hell outside, inside was so hot, my flannel shirt and ripped up jeans were drenched in sweat.

After the show, I ran home and immediately loaded my typewriter with a fresh piece of heavy bond paper and wrote a glowing review. You see, at the time I was a cook at a country club, but my side gig was writing concert reviews for a small, local music and arts magazine. I was 21 at the time. I didn’t get paid, but I got published (this was the days before the internet was popular). There were perks, though. Like a pass to all the local venues and sometimes even a backstage pass now and again.

I’m Today Years Old

Because of that gig I was able to see bands like Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, Jane’s Addiction, NIN, REM, Alice In Chains, Metallica, Cracker, and — well, a lot of other bands that aren’t around anymore. Many of the bands and songs I worshipped back then are now just a faint whisper on a breeze played on the oldies stations.

Oldies. Classic hits. Blasts from the past. VH1.

Let’s be honest, I remember watching MTV. The day it premiered! I had huge crushes on Martha Quinn and Downtown Julie Brown.

Yeah I’m that old.

Now I sit here, just south of 50 and think — Those mosh pits, all those concerts with the loud music and the crowds. I don’t think I could handle it anymore!

But Am I too Old To Write Good Blogs?

Blogs are a peculiar creature. Some call them “articles” which they are not. This is not an article. This is a blog. Articles have their own specific, and  oftentimes rigid, structure and rules. At least back in my day they did. Now, I will note that I am a writer. I’ve written to date 7 novels (4 of them published) and at least 200 short stories. Yup, I love to write.

But some of  the popular writing I’m seeing in blogs nowadays escapes me. I mean, the general idea of the blog itself. Nothing but a huge word salad of senseless, meaningless, pointless poppycock. The words look all fancy and witty and the rhapsodizing may be good, but that's it. No point. No value whatsoever to the reader.

Then there are other amazing blogs written by the younger generation that I find fascinating. Blogs that I actually learn something from or am entertained by.

I suppose it’s always been like that. Two sides of the coin. Just “back in my day” there was more discretion to what actually made it to print.

I truly believe blogging can open the door to great opportunities for these young writers and authors. They get the views, too, I’ve noticed. Much like I did back in the day. When I was writing for the magazine, people knew me. If I were to walk into a bar, local bands would schmooze me all night, free drinks and all, for a chance to get a good review written by me.

Unfortunately, I don’t enjoy that kind of fame anymore. Also, the views on my blog posts have dwindled. Much like my TikTok videos.

I suppose it’s natural for the younger generation to abandon the previous one and blaze their own trail. I fully support that. To make progress, we need to let go of old ideas. The pain point for me is, though, I spent years upon years writing and developing my voice and skills as a writer. We didn’t have blogs back when I was coming up. We called that journaling. And normally it was kept private, otherwise people thought you were like Kevin Spacey in SE7EN.

So What Happens To Me?

I keep writing. Some blogs will hit, some will miss. I write mainly business blogs now. My personal blogging has taken a back seat. I use my writing to support the kids, believe it or not. Mostly as a side gig. But there is a challenge on my part. That challenge is keeping up with the latest writing trends. Yes, just like anything, writing has trends. What’s hot and what’s not. Are clichés out? Probably. But I still use them now and again. Because I want to.

I don’t feel I’m washed up as a writer or a blogger. However, I do feel if I am to be taken seriously, my writing does need to evolve. And I feel it has, to a degree. There are many social topics I won’t touch. Not because I oppose them, but because I don’t understand them and make no attempt to pretend that I do. I’ll stick with what I know.

Release The Past

It’s not about being old (-er). The trick is filtering. Filtering out the nonsense and ancient ideas that are no longer relevant, and retaining the lessons learned from the experiences. That’s something that I can pass on. I’ve been all over the world, lived abroad, was homeless for 5 years, been to jail 3 times, all the while a roaring alcoholic. I’m nearly 10 years sober now. Sometimes I feel like a lot of life passed me by, but I look back at the lessons learned and realize, I do have a lot to share.

I’m not up on the current slang, I have to admit. Even if I was, it would sound amazingly ridiculous coming from me. But that doesn’t mean I’m too old to write a good blog. I wrote this one, and I think it’s pretty good (only took me 40 minutes so far).

So, I’ll keep writing my blogs for business and perhaps even get back into writing the personal blogs. Who knows. All I know is, I love feedback and I welcome tips from the younger generation. Doesn't mean I’ll use those tips, but they are welcome.

So as Simple Minds put it back in 1985 — Don’t You Forget About Me