“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending” - quotation based off the writing of the American author Thomas Wolfe (1900-1938)
Full text:
“You can't go back home to your family, back home to your childhood, … back home to a young man's dreams of glory and of fame … back home to places in the country, back home to the old forms and systems of things which once seemed everlasting but which are changing all the time — back home to the escapes of Time and Memory.”
You Can’t Go Home Again, Book 7 “A Wind Is Rising and the Rivers Flow” (1940)
Hello, and welcome back (or welcome) to the readers of this newsletter! Thank you to all the wonderful people who have supported and encouraged my writing about problem solving. I am going to take a brief detour to address…
A “problem” about writing about problem solving
To be realistic, problem solving is not a super exciting or provocative subject, unlike the many topics other writers create newsletters or blogs for, such as politics, current events, the latest public controversies, commentary/opinion, or financial trends.
In many respects, I am not “reporting” the “news” in the traditional sense, nor am I arguing for or against a position - other than advocating for the benefits of problem solving. These are more “letters” on the nature of problem solving: My own thoughts and ideas are presented on the subject, along with the ideas of others who have expertise in the field. In future newsletters I plan to offer the latest news and research in which problem solving plays a significant part.
Fact: Newsletters covering or discussing politics and current events are much more likely to generate higher readership than a newsletter about problem solving. And to be entirely fair, that is not surprising.
This is a problem for a writer such as myself, because my goal in writing this newsletter is to pass on a great deal of information, insight, examples, and detail about what makes a great problem solver to as many readers as possible. Reaching a wide audience is always challenging for any writer, but especially difficult when writing on a general topic like problem solving. I want to get my readers really enthusiastic about the great results problem-solving expertise can bring or help one achieve.
However, the realities of the modern day world we live in pose a problem for gaining mass readership…Eyes spot, focus narrows, and clicks occur on what arouses curiosity, criticism, interest, passion, and the ability to make a buck. There is so much content on the internet to spot read, glimpse at, post or respond to that it can be overwhelming. So much to read…so little time!
Social media instinctively rewards “light reading” and “light watching.” Watching a video on YouTube is much easier than reading the same material. Responding to a tweet or following someone on Instagram offers quicker, often instant rewards. Long form writing (narrative and expository) these days is harder to write for readers because most people just don’t have the time, energy, or focus to devote to reading. Bravo to those that do!
Admittedly, there is no “red meat” in this newsletter to really draw readers in to debate premises/arguments/conclusions, agree/disagree with the author’s viewpoint, love/hate the material, or offer their own commentary/opinion/viewpoint on the content. I cannot promise that you will make a fortune in the financial/stock/crypto markets if you only follow my trend spotting expertise, expert insight, analysis, or advice. There is nothing approaching controversial here, except perhaps for differing opinions on what the “activity” of problem solving constitutes. Furthermore, I am not trying to “sell” readers anything other than my love of problem solving, and the conviction I have (based on lots of evidence) that it can be a productive subject to learn more about and eventually master (achieve a level of expertise). For more on that concept, please see the book Mastery by Robert Greene, a superb writer who has also written many other fascinating books.
Generally speaking, success in writing, that is to really thrive, is often attributable to “survival of the fittest” and the promotion of the “most sellable.” Naturally, provocative writers, or those already successful writers with a really large built in audience to begin with, are often the most successful; that is rightly so and to be expected. That is an observation, not a complaint. Many times successful writers (other than celebrities, entertainers, or politicians, who by the nature of those positions gain instant readership) have a loyal base of followers developed over the years, readers they have earned with the quality of their writing, their expertise, or their writerly voice. Success more often than not begets more success.
The problem does have a solution, I think, therefore:
I would like interested readers to comment on what they would like to see in this newsletter that would beneficial for them (or others) to learn about problem solving, which is very often a collaborative activity. Share with others how problem solving helped you solve challenging problems you have encountered or that others have faced. How could this newsletter contribute to your or other’s problem-solving skills? Are there questions about problems or problem solving you may have that you would like answered?
Please comment, leave a question, and share to get out the “word” on not only this newsletter, but also on how problem-solving mastery can help you (and others) in many areas of life, such as your education, job/career, or even your personal life. We all have problems. How we solve those problems is what matters!
Thank you again for reading!
Happy Problem Solving,
Evan