An anecdote, a blog and a function.

When I first began this blog back in April 2010, I had no idea what I was doing. My first blog post was in April shortly after the AWP conference in Denver, but I had started the account six months prior in October of 2009. It took me months to figure out what I wanted to do. At first I thought I wanted to just write fiction on my blog, but that didn't make much sense. There are magazines for that. So, it stayed fallow until the AWP. I owe much of what I've accomplished here to Corrie Vela and one April afternoon at Hooked on Colfax. For those of you who don't know Corrie, you should. Meet her here at Sophia Ballou.

So, there I was. As I stood in the kitchen at Portland City Grill, a Saturday afternoon with a vacuous look on my face, enter my buddy Tristan. “Great blog,” he said. “Thanks man,” I said. “If I ever get in an accident and have to stay in bed for months I know what I'm going to read,” he said. “Thanks man,” I said. “You have a lot of content,” he said. “Well, I've been at it for a while,” I said. Enter Chaney. I like Chaney a lot. Chaney likes to say funny things. “You're a blogger?” she asked. “Yeah,” I said. “I want to be a blogger,” she said. “What do you blog about?” “Writing,” I said. “And I think that's funny,” Tristan said. Yeah, I think it's funny too.

I do write about writing, there is no doubt about that. I write about writing because, well, I like it. The blog, for me, has it's function. Over the years I have developed writing workshop curriculum, sounded out the nuances of small literary magazines and given out my rally calls/war hoots. The blog has been exactly what I think a writer's blog ought to be, it's my CV, my teaching resume, publicity for the groups who claim me as a member: Umbrella Factory Magazine, Rocket House Studio, Ring of Fire Publishing and Sophia Ballou. It has helped me stay focused on work and kept me on a schedule. It has been a real joy.

Does the focus change? You bet it does. As I continued talking to Tristan the other day, I told him about my recent study of photography. Now, talk about a tangible way to share information. The theoretical portion of my study of photography comes from books. I've listed them all on my Bibliography. The recent addition of the three footer at the bottom of the page link to the practical. Each one of these, Holga 120N, Pentax K1000 and Casio EX-S10 are the cameras in my arsenal. It doesn't take long to decide to practice what you read.

Where does all of these leave me? Where does it put me as a writer? And where does it take my blog? Good questions, I'm eager to see that myself.