State of the Website  

12 years ago, I launched this website with the sole intention of gathering, organizing, and sharing my thoughts via a blog. Since then, it has morphed into a full-fledged website focused on essays, reviews, photography, video projects, and a dedicated podcast. This website has provided wonderful opportunities to perfect my craft. It has challenged me in new and creative ways. It has also provided a chance to add to a robust conversation concerning the human condition.  

As I look at the rapidly changing media landscape and think about the future of the website, I know that it must continually adapt and change. If it doesn’t, it will die. With this in mind, Natetheworld.com must continue to evolve. 

For far too long, I have been focused on the quantity of content produced and not the quality. To address this challenge, I am moving forward with the following changes:   

• I will take longer to write the pieces that appear on this website with a stronger focus on quality.  

• I am revamping my content calendar. Instead of a yearly calendar with built-in deadlines, I will focus on producing content in 12 segments. I will launch this change in January 2022.  

• Each segment will feature a selection of 5 reoccurring topics selected on a random basis.  

• I will continue to expand our photography, video, podcast, and review sections. Here, you should notice deeper and more nuanced stories/reactions.   

• Finally, heading into 2022, I no longer want my voice to be the only one read on Natetheworld.com. I want to add diverse thought leaders and invite regular contributors to share their thoughts and opinions. If you are interested in joining me on this journey, please drop me a line.  

As we begin to implement these changes, I ask for your patience and grace. Writing is one of those things I would do even if no one was reading, but all writers write to be read. I am no different. I want to build a website you are proud to visit. I want you to brag about it, share it with friends, and invite others to join the conversation. I believe in my heart, if we want to build this sort of website, the changes listed above are necessary.  

2020 Highlights  

• In 12 years, we have published 2,312 original essays, reviews, videos, and podcasts.  

• 7 Patrons are currently supporting this work via Patreon 

• In the past year, 4,543 people visited this website.  

• We launched a Substack subscription program, as another way of supporting the website. 
  

Next Writing Challenge 

For my next Writing Challenge, I am launching An Attempt (Baked Goods). Over the course of 12 recipes, I will be following a baking recipe, noting my experience, and comparing the final product.  

Brand New Series 

And surprise! We are adding a new series to our monthly reoccurring topics. It will be called An Attempt. In the series, I will be taking a recipe and attempting to follow the instructions as written. Along the way, I will be sharing thoughts on my experiences and comparing my creation against the creators/author. In my mind, this sounds like a lot of fun and an opportunity to flex my limited cooking skills.  

Upcoming Writing Prompts  

Based on the 25 most-read stories in 2021, I have developed the following prompts for the upcoming content calendar. With a month of writing left to go, this list is subject to change, but I always love to give you a sneak peek.  

1. Cinephile: The Ten (Month and Year) 

2. Point B: Reflections  

3. Cinephile (Short Subject)

4. 214 lb. Nathan, Revisited 

5. # of Years with Brandon  

6. A Letter to the Men of Pi Kappa Alpha (Year)  

7. To Measure Again 

8. Musical Thesis: The Ten (Month and Year) 

9. Dear Lucas (Year) 

10. A Letter to the Graduates of Frederick High School (Year) 

11. Ideal Setlist 

12. OUTside  

13. Cinephile (Foreign Language)

14. Family (A Series of Poems) 

15. Musical Evolution (Year) 

16. My Dad and Work 

17. Seattle (An Essay) 

18. Captured (Year-Year) 

19. A Short Story On...  

20. Cinephile (Action Films)

21. A Dream Realized (Year)  

22. Captured (Washington’s National and State Parks) 

23. A Letter to the Graduates of the University of Central Oklahoma (Year) 

24. Captured (24 Hours in Seattle) 

25. Lessons of Our Father (Year) 

Closing Thought  

I spend a lot of time thinking about this website. I spend hours crafting stories, searching my own mind for the perfect thing to write, and swimming through an endless ocean of content seeking inspiration. This little hobby of mine means so much to me. I cannot vividly picture a world where I don’t write and share something. I know there is a lot in this world to steal your attention. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for spending some of your time with me.  

Be good to each other,  

Nathan  

This website exists because of readers and supporters. If what you just read made you smile, please consider supporting the website with a monthly gift. Your support means everything and proves to the world that original content still matters.