After a long career at the New York Times, Charles Blow has shared that he lost his enthusiasm for writing, particularly in his last years, and found it hard to see his work as worth the pay he received.
“My last year on this paper wasn’t my most enjoyable,” Blow admitted in the inaugural post of his new Substack newsletter, “Blow the Stack.”
He mentioned that his job transitioned from something he would have done for free to something he struggled to justify for a salary.
At 55, Blow noted that the powerful commentary he used to produce had turned into “zombie stuff” published under his name.
“It wasn’t my voice anymore,” he reflected.
Eventually, he found himself drained of inspiration.
“Honestly, my confidence took a hit in that space, and confidence is crucial for an essayist,” he confessed.
He pointed out that readers can sense hesitation or a lack of conviction, which can affect how they perceive the strength of an argument and the clarity of well-crafted phrases.
Despite a difficult end, Blow admitted that an experience in February, where he was asked to review “James Baldwin: A Love Story,” helped him regain some faith when he felt lost.
He appreciated the strong and attentive editors he worked with, who helped maintain the integrity of his voice and writing style.
“I had forgotten how that felt,” he said, describing this as a “confirmation” that he still had value as a writer.
For some context, though, Blow’s departure from the Times Op-Ed page wasn’t as dramatic as Paul Krugman’s, who cited growing tensions with the management and editorial limitations as reasons for moving his work to Substack for a more frequent and technical approach to writing.
When it came time for Blow to part ways, he didn’t feel any sadness. “My year on the paper leaned towards the positive,” he remarked.
Blow expressed pride in the institution that once welcomed him, describing himself as a “gawky country boy full of grit and ambition.”
He reminisced about how the Times allowed him various chances to reinvent himself, including serving as a creative director when the Styles Section launched its Thursday edition in 2005.
“I believed in it—still believe in it—because the Times is in my blood,” he concluded.
