I started this project on April 28, 2008. The original tagline was "One Year. One Novel. One Contract." The blog was to be a focused narrative of my attempt to reach that goal. Have I reached that goal?
Of course I haven't. Don't be silly. If I'd reached it I'd be knee-deep in opiates and loose women and men and would have already forgotten about all you little people.
I gave up on the whole One This And That intention thing for the blog on June 2 of last year, saying,
But that was dull. Dull. Dull. My god it was dull, it was so dull and tedious and stuffy and boring and desperately dull. Even leaving aside my utter failure to meet the unitary goal stated at the project's inception, I really don't think I'd have much luck producing regular posts on a single subject that would be worth reading.1
So, I shifted to an emphasis on writing, and more snippets of things I liked. That got tiresome after a while as well, so finally I gave up and started posting whatever struck my bent head at any given time, provided it fit within certain ill-defined boundaries that changed on a regular basis and had some correlation with the table of tides from a 1927 edition of The Old Farmer's Almanac that I found in my pants the morning after what was apparently a very good night out with a group of urchin fishermen.
The stats tell the tale. I started writing whatever sucked the toes of my fancy sometime in March. My traffic roughly doubled, and the number of repeat visitors steadily increased. Those repeats are the coveted regular readers. I've got some now. Not many. But some. You know who you are! Thank you.
This, then, would be my delayed The Show So Far post. I now return you to your regular programming.
1"Or regular posts on multiple subjects that are worth reading!" Yes, yes. Shut up.
Of course I haven't. Don't be silly. If I'd reached it I'd be knee-deep in opiates and loose women and men and would have already forgotten about all you little people.
I gave up on the whole One This And That intention thing for the blog on June 2 of last year, saying,
I've come to the...well, I won't call it sudden...but I've come to the realization that that's well, stupid.My previous blog, which stumbled and arced and streaked through Tha IntraTubes for over five years, was described in admirable terms by a long time reader as a "conceptual train wreck." He liked those sorts of blogs, as do I. But I thought I'd give the subject-specific format a shot, because Doctor Internet's Prescription For Blog Success at one point involved such focus. My focus was going to be a novel in progress and writing in general. Nothing else.
Not just the practical aspect of it, I always knew that I was asking the near-impossible of myself. But: it's a stunt. Let's see how clever and good and talented I can be.
But that was dull. Dull. Dull. My god it was dull, it was so dull and tedious and stuffy and boring and desperately dull. Even leaving aside my utter failure to meet the unitary goal stated at the project's inception, I really don't think I'd have much luck producing regular posts on a single subject that would be worth reading.1
So, I shifted to an emphasis on writing, and more snippets of things I liked. That got tiresome after a while as well, so finally I gave up and started posting whatever struck my bent head at any given time, provided it fit within certain ill-defined boundaries that changed on a regular basis and had some correlation with the table of tides from a 1927 edition of The Old Farmer's Almanac that I found in my pants the morning after what was apparently a very good night out with a group of urchin fishermen.
The stats tell the tale. I started writing whatever sucked the toes of my fancy sometime in March. My traffic roughly doubled, and the number of repeat visitors steadily increased. Those repeats are the coveted regular readers. I've got some now. Not many. But some. You know who you are! Thank you.
This, then, would be my delayed The Show So Far post. I now return you to your regular programming.
1"Or regular posts on multiple subjects that are worth reading!" Yes, yes. Shut up.
Ah, iWood. It's hard to spot even the most engaging, flamboyant of Formicidae when looking at a colony. Next to another colony. Next to another. Indie blogs are a dime a dozen, and we're fighting a losing battle with store-bought talent and fickle readers who want the next big thing. We either settle for satisfaction with the coveted few or find a hook. Sexcapades. Short pithy stories. Bites of engaging weirdness. A central character who blogs his/her/its story as the manuscript is written.
In the end, though, there's this: Most of us will never ride the admiration train. So maybe the world wouldn't wail and rent its clothes if our blogs disappear, but there have been days when you have been someone's smile or inspiration. That's quite something.
You know, until fame comes along.
Ah, how things come full circle. Next thing you know, you are going to be planning a biking expedition that ends up with tons of debauchery in San Francisco. ;)
I like your new direction. I think you are an extremely dynamic person, let alone a writer. We've talked a lot about the blog medium and just an inside and behind the scenes look at one's head makes interesting reading sometimes, but there are a lot of pixels to fill in between. Staring at a blank screen because you are limited by your stated objectives is disheartening, less-effective and just not very fun. Writing to satisfy your cravings: that is fun.
Me? I'm not a writer (Sometimes I wonder if I'm even human, but we won't get into that here), so my blog is empty because, well, I guess I'd rather be struggling rubbing nickles together and hoping they mate than chasing links that no longer exist anymore. However, looking at my life, I'm sure there is a joke in my life somewhere that is worth telling even if its at my expense.
This is precisely why, other than you being my friend, I keep wanting to read your shit. You ARE a writer--a damn good one--and you are absolutely money at capturing and expressing the absurdity of the moment. Somehow, you are able to make it hilarious AND profound.
Ok, it is going to look like I'm kissing your ass here and no one wants to read that. In fact, I'm wiping my mouth with a dishcloth and some antiseptic. Not because of my ass kissing, but because I think I just kissed a Mexican with Swine-flu.
Ah, fabulous ants and fucking change! And Mexican ass. Things are blurry because my town is on fire again, but I'm almost certain that's the gist of one or both friendly comments. I think I must've sounded more discouraged in the post than I actually am: although I never wrote about it--at least, not that I can recall at the moment, which doesn't mean that I didn't--there came a point at which I decided to stop beating myself about the head because I wasn't SUPREME FANTASTIC SUCCESSFUL WRITING ALL THE TIME GUY RIGHT NOW. Made for too much unfun, that.
So: grins all around. Always good to know there are friends both met and unmet on the other end of my DSL connection.
Now: apparently we're all about to die horrendous deaths beneath an agonizing onslaught of eucalyptus-scented flame. Must go see to that.