It's All About Me

I just finished reading “On Writing” by Stephen King, one of my favorite writers.

Okay, so actually I just got done listening to it unabridged on audio (Steve said it counts!). I don’t read books very much these days. I love to read magazines, internet articles, and newspapers but I don’t seem to have the patience to sit and read book-books anymore. ADD ? Maybe, but likely just lazy. I love the language though, and I think a good audiobook is as good as a written book for observing language.

And I do like to write. I don’t know if I'm especially good at it, but I know I like doing it and I like when folks tell me I do it well. Needy? Oh yeah.

Steve’s book gives me hope that I can hone my skills with enough practice to at least be a competent writer. I don’t even know if I have loftier goals than that. I think everyone says “someday I’ll write a book,” at one point or another in their life. Some folks actually do it. Few actually get published. Don’t misunderstand me; if I write a book then I damn well want folks to read it. I’d also like a few of them to tell me how great it is. They don’t even have to be telling the truth so long as they stick to their story. See “needy” above.

This blog serves the purpose of doing what Steve-o tells writers to do: write.

I don’t pretend that folks all over the world will want to read my blog (although I guess I’d be terribly flattered if they did). I don’t have all that much to say usually, but I'm writing every day and it’s something I intend to do as long as I can. Journals are fine but I can’t see myself keeping one. “Dear Diary, work sucks, I love my wife, and the dogs crapped on the carpet again.” I don’t want to re-read that later. I know all that. What I might like to remember is the jargon I hear or a news item I read or a movie I saw or a book I listened to that made me think. And what it made me think.

And I hear so many great stories that it would be nice if I could jot a couple of them down. It might make me a better writer or a better storyteller or a better human being. Or maybe not, that’s fine too.

While I'm not writing 3000 words a day, I’m writing daily. That’s the point, that’s the purpose, that’s the plan. If anyone other than me gets something out of it: bonus. I'm in this for me.

E