[16 years ago this week, I launched this AmericanStudies daily blog. For this year’s anniversary series, I thought I’d revisit some significant months across those 16 years, leading up to my usual weekend thank-full post paying tribute to some of the countless folks who’ve helped along the way.]
In the opening dialogue of Ryan Coogler’s Fruitvale Station (2013), a film I’ve taught many times and thus blogged about a few times as well, Sophina (Melonie Diaz), the longtime girlfriend of protagonist Oscar (Michael B. Jordan), cites Oprah Winfrey’s claim that “it only takes 30 days to form a habit.” I’m not one to argue with O, and so when it comes to this blog, I’d say that making it to December 2010 was crucially important. And not just because it meant that my daily blogging ritual (which back then was truly daily—it was around the start of 2012, on which more tomorrow, that I began writing and scheduling posts in batches) had endured, but also because it was in that second month that I really began to do two things at once: to find occasions for specific posts, such as my first holiday season posts; and to allow myself to adjust my planned schedule in order to respond to things that were happening, such as this post on a novel I had just finished teaching, Dreiser’s Sister Carrie (1900). Both of those practices helped ensure that the blog would survive and (I hope and believe) flourish for a whole lot more than 30 days, and indeed is still the most consistent part of my writing and work nearly 6000 days later.
Next monthly moment tomorrow,
Ben
PS. Whether you’re a recent or long-time reader, say hi in comments, please!
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