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Even if you have nothing to write, write and say so

Thus spake Marcus Tullius Ciciero, the father of modern law. And that’s about as far as that goes. This is not legal guff; I’m not a lawyer. But Cicero was right: Even if you think you have nothing to say, you’re wrong.

By the way, this lecture is aimed at me not you. I’ve been slacking as far as this blog is concerned. Oh yes, I’m happy to Twitter 140 characters at a time, with my rubbishy one-liners, obvious puns and unoriginal line in facetious quips, but to sit down and write something constructive in this here blog has been entirely another thing.

And now it’s time for another old adage: “People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.” I’m an SEO by profession, that is I tell people about things they should do in order that their website floats to the top of Google or Yahoo or Ask. One of the things I tell them a lot is to add a blog to their site … and write in it regularly.

And then I completely ignore my own advice and impose Writer’s Block upon myself.

Okay, so I could argue that I don’t want to get my website to the top of Google or anything. I do this for pleasure; I’m not selling anything. Not even me.

But the main reason I write is for pleasure, and that’s surely the best reason of all.

I can’t paint a magnificent portrait, or build a better mousetrap. I can’t even play an instrument or speak a single language other than English and Gibberish. Yet I have been known to bring a smile to some easily-pleased people’s faces with an opportune phrase, or turn sentiment with well-chosen words. Actually, now I come to think of it, the most easily-pleased person most entertained in all of this is me.

A few weeks ago, someone asked my why I did the things I did, and I replied (to his obvious scorn), that I did them for “fun”. Surely, I told him, if we only do things out of a sense of obligation, duty or habit, we are no better than the beast that treads the beaten path because that’s what he’s always done.

In my humble opinion, I reckon if life isn’t fun, you’re doing something wrong.

Anyway, today when I read that quote from Marcus Tullius Cicero I decided the old Roman had got it right.

So, that’s that. I’ve got nothing much to write about, but I really will try to write and say so.