Okay, Day 1 was a long time ago. But Day 1 of the website is today.
Why make this? Well, putting my work out there means that I need to have a presence online. If I’ve learned anything from my day job, it would be the importance of marketing oneself.
But that’s not really why I’ve made this. My writing is important to me. Making that writing available to readers is also important. As I come out into the open more about writing, I want to give a way for others to stay up to date.
Yes, I said “come out.” For a long time, I didn’t describe myself as a writer because I didn’t want to be one of “those people.” You know what I mean. Someone who broadcasts themselves as being a writer without actually writing. And for a long time, I wasn’t putting in the actual writing time to really claim such a status.
Now I feel differently. For the last 3 years, I’ve been using my work vacation time almost exclusively to work on my novel. Weekends and evenings weren’t cutting it for me. I get little bits done during that time, but I wasn’t making real progress. Maybe it’s because my day job has long had a lot of creativity and writing involved. Or maybe it’s because I’ve been one of those office workers who can’t turn the phone off when they get home. Either way, I’ve found that dedicating time in large chunks works for me and thankfully, I have a life that supports that decision.
Currently, this blog is screaming into the void. I don’t know if anyone will sign up to get updates about my book. This could go nowhere. I try not to have expectations about anything other than factors I control. I can control the writing occurring. I cannot control publishing or anyone reading my writing.
To everyone who has heard me talk about my novel and told me to let them know when its published, not if, thank you. Your support encourages me. If I shrink away and rarely discuss it, I’m just being shy about something that means so much to me. The void that is the internet can be a lot easier to cope with than a human face staring back at me. But at the end of the day, I need real people to validate my work and keep me thinking that this is worth asking people to read.