I'm Starting A Blog! The What and Why.

For some time now, I’ve grappled with starting a blog. I wanted to, for some inexplicable reason, but what would I write about? What do I have to add to the world/internet that hasn’t already been added (and probably better) by someone else?

I believe I’ve finally found my answer to that question: reviews.

Why write yet more reviews when there are already so many available? So here’s the thing, I’m opinionated. Everything that passes by me, whether books, movies, TV, any genre, intended for any demographic, faces my judgment. I can’t help but dissect the things that enter my brain, including my own thoughts.

Now, because I cast judgment on the sea of media before me, do I think my written opinions are very important?

…

Yes.

They’re important to my sanity.

I find value in writing out my thoughts because

1. It encourages me to think, in the first place. And

2. It helps me to know what I think, to move beyond vague feelings and impressions and assemble the pieces into a personal revelation.

Through this endeavor, I find out what makes a story work or not work (and I do try to be as objective as possible, though subjectivity is inescapable).

But I’m writing things that many people have written and continue to write. I cannot guarantee that my thoughts will be new, especially to you. So do I think my thoughts are very important to you? I don’t expect you to think so. But even in my most serious moments of written opinion, I have fun thinking (no, seriously) and fun writing (or sometimes just ranting…), so my hope is that you’ll have fun reading along.

Now onto the next important question: what range of topics will my blog cover?

*drumroll*

Fiction.

And whatever I feel like. But mostly fiction.

I’m too unfocused to tackle topics that require serious research, and I care about getting things right, so I’m going to talk about things that I know, and not things that I don’t feel settled in my knowledge of.

Lastly, by claiming that I know about storytelling, do I think I’m a superior storyteller, or that my writing features none of the flaws that I’ll point out just because I think about things that are already written and done? I want to reassure you that I do not think I’m the best thing since the invention of the wheel. I’m an imperfect person, and the best I can produce is imperfect writing. That’s true of everyone (even Diana Wynne Jones, who you’ll hear no bad things about from me). But we all have to start somewhere. If I didn’t take the plunge and publish my imperfect writing—if instead I waited until it was the best it could ever possibly be—I would never publish at all.

My main concern is that I continue to grow, and that by dissecting what other people chose to publish (especially if there are accolades involved!) that I will learn more about how to write my own stories…or how to not write my stories.

This is a journey. It may be a sporadic one involving procrastination and dry spells of low media consumption, but it’s going to be a heck of a time.

So come on in, the water is fine.