So, there’s always a bit of hesitancy when it comes to the first words on the page. After all, these are going to be the first words most readers will see, so they need to have the appropriate amount of gravitas.
Well, at least, that’s true for a story. Fortunately, for this blog, this will likely be one of the few posts that actually get read. That’s how the internet works; the first posts are never read by anyone. The chain of events is going to be a) write some blog posts, b) write some stories, c) finally sell something, d) get some views on the blog after several dozen posts have already gone by. Of course, that’s assuming I ever sell anything, and that’s a huge assumption.
However, with the idea that this may be the first post someone sees, let’s make some introductions.
Hello, my name is Matthew Ian Stanford, and I’m a writer. I’m not a published writer, as of yet, but I aim to change that as soon as possible. That’s probably what every nascent writer believes, but we’ll see what happens.
I drafted up an about page, which will hopefully give everyone a basic idea of what I’m trying to accomplish. What I’m going to do now, though, is give a better vision of what this blog is supposed to be.
I’m just starting my professional writing career right now, from zero. So, knowing that, I’m going to use this blog to catalog that journey, whether successful or not. In ten years, when I’m either a massively successful novelist, or a dismal flop in the annuls of writing history (or even somewhere in between), this meager collection of entries will serve as a week-by-week document of my success/failure. It’s ambitious, to be sure, but I have the time, so why not?
The kinds of things I’ll write about here will be varied, but focused on writing. I’ll try to talk about my process, including methods and tools I try out and find helpful or not. I’ll also link any content I found particularly helpful or insightful and attempt to keep everyone updated on longer projects. Finally, I will publish any bits of writing that I cannot sell, or simply do not want to sell. These will be under the “Scraps” category and will be licensed under Creative Commons, so feel free to use these in whatever non-commercial way you want (check out the scraps page for more information regarding this).
Remember, I’m completely new at this, so there’s going to be mistakes, and lots of them. My only hope is to learn from them and maintain some determination. I think I can do it. Actually, I know I can do it, if I stay focused and willing.
I invite anyone and everyone out there in internet land to join me on this journey. Wish me luck or give me your jeers; that’s up to you. I’ll be here, tapping away at this keyboard and trying to make it.
Let’s get going.