Documenting the work while doing the work

I don't write essays about football. I write field notes from inside a football academy.

The distinction matters more than I first thought. Essays are written from a distance. Field notes are written from inside the work, while the outcome is still uncertain, while the ink is still wet.

Why I document as I go

If I wait until BlueWhale is a success to tell the story, the story will be a lie. The truth of building anything serious is that it's uncertain the entire way through. The best I can do is write down what I actually saw, on the day I saw it, and let the record stand.