Personal Columns

I don't envy people who have to write regular columns for newspapers and suchlike, especially personal columns (as opposed to columns on specific topics such as financial markets or sports). Mining your everyday life for your column is a risky exercise as the people you write about might not appreciate being written about or what your write about them. The quality of your columns is likely to fluctuate wildly even if you have a talent for spinning mundane events into interesting stories. And, it is difficult to guard against sliding into self-indulgence and unabashed navel-gazing. The English media is full of such faffing and the fact that most columnists tend to be posh white men makes the columns even more tiresome. Even professional comedians are not that great at squeezing comedy or profundity out of everyday life. Only write in a public medium if you have something to say, is what I believe. If you really love navel-gazing, why not maintain a personal blog that almost no one reads?