SO, WHAT DO I SAY FIRST?

One of the hardest parts of launching this blog was settling on what to write about in it. I spent a number of days, even weeks, mulling over what would be the ideal piece(s) to really start things off right. It’s not that I lack ideas or subjects that interest me. It’s trying to figure out what ideas you my (one day hopefully enormous) audience wants to see. That’s not exactly a profound revelation; every writer and every form of writing requires that. Hell, no business is going to be successful if it doesn’t deliver what the customer wants.

At the same time, I’ve never cared for writing about things that don’t hold any interest for me. I know a lot of struggling writers who have had to take what opportunities they can find. I remember a mentor of mine telling me some years back, that one of her first writing gigs was to go into local bars and clubs, and interview people their thoughts on their favorite drinks and the like. It was a bit of a seedy assignment, one that didn’t speak to where she wanted to go with her writing career. She gave it up not long afterwards.

My situation is a bit different, of course, but I think the principle is basically the same. I have a passion for writing that requires me to be “real.” I’ve tried in the past to write about things that I’m not keen on, and it just never works. I’m one of those people that just can’t “fake it”, and put sincere effort into something that holds no allure for me. Even if that something would reach a lot bigger audience.

So, how did I find that “sweet spot”, balancing the audience I’m aiming for and my own interests? The answer is: I didn’t. I just decided that I’ve got to be me, no matter what. I might be successful. I might not. I’ll probably offend more than a few people in either case (not that that’s hard to do these days). But it’ll be all me, and that’s good enough.