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Yes. Six weeks in, Daniel had four readers and wanted to quit. The entries you write when almost nobody is reading become the proof that you kept your word.
Week six at Lompoc
"This call is from a federal prison."
"Week six," Daniel said. "I'm done with the blog."
He had written 39 entries since surrendering. Karen typed each one and posted it. The one she posted Tuesday had four readers.
"Two were probably Karen checking her typing."
I didn't have a pep talk. I told him the one thing I knew: he said he would write in prison, and he had written 39 entries in six weeks.
The next Sunday, I told him about Sisyphus. The gods punished him by making him push a boulder up a hill. Near the top, it rolled back down. He walked down and pushed it again. Forever. Camus wondered what Sisyphus thought about on the walk back down. The gods controlled the boulder and the hill. They didn't control that.
"You want me to be happy writing for four people?"
"I want Karen and your kids to imagine you happy."
The Sunday after that, he called and said, "Entry forty-one."
When I mailed my first handwritten blog home from Taft, my mom typed it. My case manager and my counselor both said I hadn't served enough time to write about prison. They had a point. I kept writing. That blog became Lessons From Prison.
Your case manager probably won't read your first entry. Neither will your judge. The early ones are for you and your family. Later, they show you did what you said you would do when almost nobody was watching.
If you want help deciding what you'll write, and how you'll keep going in week six, let's talk.
Schedule a free call with our team.
Questions people ask
Can you post a blog from federal prison?
Not directly. People mail or email entries home, and a family member or a team posts them.
Will my case manager read my blog?
Maybe not the first entries. Over months, a dated record shows a pattern a case manager can check.
Read next: Part 3: Will Your Bank Close Your Accounts If You Go to Prison?
Written by
Justin Paperny
Founder White Collar Advice
