Member-only story
Well, Here I Go Again
An old man grasping at digital straws
I have been trying to produce an email newsletter The View from Villa Flores, to share my stories with friends and family who (mostly) would never read me on Medium. It’s part of my “legacy” project that includes producing paperback versions of my online books of fiction, poetry and essays. As a super-senior (my word for over-80), I know it’s unlikely I will be around much longer (or much shorter, if this pathetic pandemic gets me). I want to leave behind some traces of my work (like tombstones in an ancient cemetery?).
I wrestled with Substack. After ten hours of trying to get it to work and getting no help from its help fantasy site, I gave up in frustration. I’m tempted to say it was like masturbating in a barrel of molasses, but I’ve never done that — yet I suspect it would be more fun than my experience with that popular newsletter subscription company. Apparently, I am just too old to learn new tricks.
At my age, losing ten hours is like a young person losing ten days. I considered writing a piece for Medium, “Should Octogenarians Stick to Pen and Ink?” I won’t, of course. My biggest regret from that grueling grind is that I may have sent detritus (fancy word for “crap”) to the inboxes of some people I like.
