Getting Started -- you must start before you can get lost.

I am new to the world of writing. I've been a reader all my life, but that doesn't make one qualified to be a writer. I'm finding it a difficult world with many traps and perils. OK, not really, but writing isn't easy.

The majority of people in the world can read and most of them can write. So, writing is one of those low barriers to entry markets, right? Well, no. Sure, anybody can pound out some words that might happen to form a coherent sentence, but that doesn't make them a writer. It only makes them human. I'm not yet sure I can hack it as a writer, but that's what I'm aiming for.

I write fiction. My favorite form of fiction is Fantasy and Science Fiction so that is what I am writing. I've written a few short peices that are more literature oriented, but that's not really where my passion is. I have two ideas that I'm currently working on. One is pretty complex and requires a lot of world building, complex political machinations, cultural diversity, and of course swords and magic. So, it's a tough one to start on. I've written about 70k words on it so far but I'm afraid most of it won't be usable. That's OK, it's a learning process. The second idea is much more simple and easier to develop. I'm excited about it. Not because it is original, it's not. But I like the idea, I like the characters and I think I can actually tell the whole story.

The purpose of this blog is not to extole my virtues as a writer, nor is it to arrogantly try to promote myself. It is also not a blog about teaching you how to write. So many writers have their own blogs where they try to teach people how to write. Some of them are excellent. Most of them are pretty dull and proves that one can be a great writer, but a lousy teacher. No, what I'm aiming for here is simply to post what interests me and to possibly point out things from the writing world that are worthy of some consideration. I'll rant, I'll opine, and sometimes I'll even make sense. But I am no expert and I reserve the right to contradict myself at will.

I doubt I'll post here regularly, but we'll see. I might enjoy it.

I hope, if you are reading this, that you get something of value out of it.

Eric