It has been some time since I decided to take a break from this blog in order to figure out exactly what I wanted it to be. Over those weeks, I have thought about everything from what I write to why I write and even how and when I write. When distilled down to its essence, I discover that there are two kinds of writing that I do, and I think this blog is really only fit for one of them.
I write fiction. In fact, today I finished a 6000 word fantasy story (that I thought was only going to be about 3000 words, but that is a different post altogether). Sometimes I write fiction very quickly — I crowd source a few story elements and cobble together a flash fiction in an hour or so — and sometimes I write very deliberately and it takes weeks to finish something (if at all). The thing is, I don’t think a blog is a good choice for me for fiction because once I hit “Publish” it feels, well, published. The problem with that is that while the story exists Out There, I know that it might be seen by two or three people. I have “published” it and gained nothing. One day I hope to make a living telling stories, which means that simply finishing and posting stories is counterproductive to that goal.
The other kind of writing I do, which I feel is much more appropriate for the blog format, is essentially this: I am thinking on paper (or “in bytes” I suppose) and expressing my thoughts and opinions about one thing or another. I know, the internet is a sea of thoughts and opinions and mine are no more special than anyone else’s — which is precisely why I think this sort of writing lives better on a blog. I believe that I have the ability to tell stories that people will not only want to read but will be willing to pay to read. As fond as I am of my own opinions, I am not sure they qualify as salable.
That said, I may occasionally throw fiction on here, or a link to fiction if I need eyes on it before a revision. And I plan to rant less and think through my opinion pieces more — articles, rather than screeds, if you will — in order to make those pieces informative and attractive.
this, then, is my goal for this blog in 2014: entertain, elucidate and maybe even educate, all the while working toward professional status as a fiction author.
I.E. 