The first inklings for this project came about on one of those days when I was looking at the list of things it had crossed my mind to blog about, or maybe on one of those days when I was reading the news and thinking: “That’s an important issue that I haven’t thought about enough. I think I should have an opinion on it that I am able to express eloquently… ooh, sudoku!”

Whatever kind of day it was, the idea began as a memory. I thought back on the times when I was made to write down thoughts that were at least vaguely coherent with a clock ticking on test day. And on the times when I waited until 2 in the morning to start writing an essay due not so many hours later. I thought: “Man! I’m glad I don’t have to put up with that anymore! The pressure! The constant feeling that I was saying things I only halfway believed!”

(…but then again, at least you were Saying things… don’t you have to decide whether you believe something halfway before you figure out whether it’s worth it to probe further?… wasn’t there a benefit in being pushed to get something out early, and isn’t that exactly the hurdle you face now?)

“Yeah, sure, but do you really want me to get myself to take self-imposed essay tests?!! Isn’t that kind of twisted?! And even if it’s not, how the hell do you propose I go about it?! The only reason it works in school is because there is the pressure of a commitment to the context…”

And so this project was born, with the following basic premise: a group of people commit to write one essay a month on a shared topic. They further commit to take only one hour to write this essay, with the full understanding that everyone involved is doing the same - so punch, not polish, is the point of the exercise. They can write at any time during the month, but they agree to submit their essay by the end-of-month deadline, and to adhere to the time limit. Once all of the essays are received, they are published here side by side, and discussion will hopefully ensue.

The goal is to create a safe space where a variety of intelligent and interesting people are able to test out ideas without the worry of getting things Exactly Right^TM before going on the record. They can then benefit from the ideas and feedback of other intelligent and interesting people, giving them the potential energy and inspiration to further refine their ideas as they see fit, in whatever forum they choose.

Because we can say all we want about the great things we would do if we only had more time, but in the end we have to start somewhere, and it’s amazing what we can do in an hour if we just shut up and get to work. :)