A New Chapter: Introduction

"There is no greater agony then bearing an untold story inside you" -Maya Angelou

Hi everyone! Welcome to my blog. So, this is going to be a kind of deep-dive journey into the world of creative writing for fiction. Yes, fiction. Make believe. Fantasy. Dreams. Here’s a cliché for you: since I was little, I’ve always been writing. I would scribble little sentences on the backs of napkins and make mini comic books for my brothers. Scrabble was (and, let’s be honest, still is) my favorite game. I’ve always had this passion, and I wanted to share it with the world.

Passion aside, I’m no professional. I’m guilty of run-on sentences and comma splicing and wide, gaping plot holes. Aren’t we all? All those mistakes, all those little things we let slip through the cracks: that’s what writing is. It’s messy and sometimes a pain, and you have to really stay consistent with it if you want to get remotely close to anywhere. I’m actually working on a book right now, one that I promised myself I’m going to stick to and finish, unlike the countless stories I began and abandoned in the past. So, look for that by at least 2035.

"Life isn't a support-system for art. It's the other way around"
-Stephen King

I joke, but I love writing. I love helping people with their writing, figuring out details and piecing together a plot like a puzzle that finally fits together. I love the “aha” moment of finally finding a good place to end a chapter. And I hope I can share that love with all of you.

Back when I was trying to figure out an approach to this blog, I struggled. There’s a lot in my life that I'm passionate about, but not a whole lot is fit to blog. Sure, I am addicted to makeup, and there exists within me a specific adoration for all things horror - I could tell you the origin story of vampires off the top of my head (Vlad the Impaler, by the way). But none of these concepts felt right.

In the end, I decided that I wanted to focus on something that could help others, and I feel that rambling on about fiction and writing could be that pathway. At some point, we'll start to learn some writer's tools and applications, but for now, let's focus on the beginning. Everyone who gets into writing needs to start somewhere, so why not start here, together?

"We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master" -Ernest Hemingway

Okay, you may be thinking, You’re not a professional, why should I listen to you? Valid point. I’m most certainly not a professional, a sentiment that will remain crystal clear throughout this blog. So, if you're not convinced, let’s take the time to admire the perspectives of people who actually are professionals. Stephen King’s masterful work On Writing says that, “practice is invaluable, and that honesty is indispensable.” The great feminist author Virginia Woolf felt that fiction is an unsolved problem. William Zissner leaves us with the comforting notion that there isn’t any correct way to write; it’s personal, and therefore sacred.

I hope this blog can be a place where you find inspiration, where we can learn from and talk about all of the great writers that have come before. What can we learn from them? How can we make our own pathway in the world? These questions have infinite answers. So let’s listen to the greats and begin there. Let’s practice our craft and be honest in our storytelling. Let’s get into the mystery that is fiction. Let’s write.