“The artist’s world is limitless.  It can be found anywhere, far from where he lives or a few feet away.  It is always on his doorstep.” 

~Paul Strand

Writer Dad went live six weeks ago.

Though the site has met an audience quickly, there was a long month of prologue that I don’t like to discuss.

Those were the forgotten days of my stumbling stabs at a blog on blogspot, where early posts sounded much like an idiot rambling inside the corridors of an empty cave.  Each post carried the shame of a dirty magazine, and I was too mortified to show them even to Daisy.  

I had nothing to say; at least nothing that anybody would want to hear.

I didn’t have a cat to talk about, I didn’t feel like bragging, or complaining, about my children to a network of strangers, and I certainly wasn’t an expert on anything; at least not enough to pop out how-to lists several times a week.

Eventually, I swallowed, and decided to just start writing.  I could figure it out as I went along… as long as I had the right name.  

I searched for an afternoon that felt like a week.  Everything was taken, including a few ghastly choices, I’m thankful were spoken for.  Almost ready to retire, I typed writer dad dot com into the search field.  

Domain name available.  

I’m a writer and a dad; guess that’s green lights all the way.  

I registered the name and drafted my first post.  

On the other side of the looking glass, and a couple dozen of the states, was a gentleman by the name of David Wright.  He too, was a writer and a dad.  He had just been let go from his job as a reporter, and was trying to decide on his next move.  

He wanted to be Writer Dad.

He checked and the domain was available, but he hedged.  

An hour later it was gone.  

I can imagine the seething hatred David felt for the thief who had crept into his head and embezzled his idea.  Fortunately, animosity died a quick death, and David started reading Writer Dad.

He liked it.

A couple of weeks ago, I received an email.  Dave told me his story, and about his new blog, Blogger Dad.  He’s a seemingly terrific guy.

This is where a fun anecdote turns relevant.  

I believe in the new renaissance, and putting ourselves together.  I believe that barriers are breaking.  

My relationship with Dave is the first seed to crack shell and see a sapling stretch for light.  

He’s a cartoonist, with a long running strip called Todd and Penguin.  We’ve collaborated on our first wee-book, which we will unveil this Friday.  

This is the magic of the internet.  Dave and I weren’t assembled by a team of marketers.  We came together because I put my voice out there and he answered with his.  Collaboration has been superb; swift with no middlemen between us.  

If this is what the future offers, we should all be wise and listen.  

When it comes to things like Twitter and Facebook, I’m still a bit ignorant.  But the exchanges I’ve had with Dave, and a few others like him, could only be described as some of the brightest spots on tomorrow’s dawn.

Writer Dad

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