First Things First

Hi guys! First, I just want to thank you in advance for checking out my site. I can't guarantee greatness here, but I hope you can stick with me for at least a little a bit while I figure this out. If you've read my short little bio, you know that I am brand spankin' new to this whole website/blogging thing, so please be gentle.

I've been dabbling in writing since I was in junior high. I started by keeping a journal, a habit which I have maintained since then. Not long after the journal ranting...errr writing started, I began writing fiction. Short stories. As with most early writing, they were laughably bad. I like to think that I have vastly improved my skills over the intervening twenty-five'ish years. I regret to inform you that I have not yet published anything, except my Master's Thesis, but that's a different story. I would like to say its because it didn't occur to me until recently, or that I had yet to find someone who appreciated my genius evidence of which is a big pile of rejection letters. The truth of the matter is that I simply have not had the guts to pull the trigger and give anyone the opportunity to reject me. I could list out a dozen excuses, but in the end it comes down to fear.

Fear. Nothing fancy in that. But it's the simple truth. I'm scared.

I work a day job that I don't hate, but I don't love it either. I am grateful for it. It pays the bills, but it's not something I want to do the rest of my life. I've decided that I need to go for it. Try getting my fiction published; start freelancing. Spending time doing as much of what I actually love as possible. And hopefully somewhere along the way, learning to make a living out of it. I am realistic in that regard. Of the millions of writers out there, only a small percentage of them make a living with their writing, even fewer make a good living. But if I can manage to get enough clients and publication deals, maybe I can cut back on the stuff I don't love so much.

So here I am, after years of saying some day, taking a first step. I'm still scared, but I read recently that you can't wait until you aren't scared. The fear will never really go away. No amount of preparation or research or soul searching will fix it. You need to just jump in with both feet and hope for the best.

This website is a multi-use thing for me. It allows me to get my name out on the internet, chronicle my journey from an unknown to a slightly more known writer, and give me a place to provide links and information about my work. But perhaps the most important part is to give me an opportunity to find a group of people to be grateful for (this means you any followers and subscribers!).

Thanks again to whomever has stuck with me this far. Hopefully, I can continue to give you a reason to stick around in the future.