Inaugural Post

I have a confession to make. This would probably be a good opening sentence for a mystery or a self-help manual. I don’t know if it is proper for a blog about the writing life. But you see, that is the real problem and hence, confession. I am not a blog reader, follower, groupie, or promoter. I am definitely an ingénue in the world of the blog.

Having said that, let me now justify why I have decided to take up space in this forum I barely comprehend. (I have to admit I think of the web as a newer version of the television screen that appears in Willy Wonka’s factory, and my thoughts are a bit like the child who disintegrates into tiny black and white particles.) But enough of literalism…I think of one’s life as a collection of chapters, and I have started the chapter entitled WRITER. I am a trained historian who has decided to discard the academic life and use my knowledge, research, and skill to make an understanding of the past enjoyable, not something to endure. So…this blog will be a chronicle of the intellectual journey of creating a fictional world that is rooted in the reality of past lives.

I actually have two confessions to make. I have checked out a dozen or so writer’s blogs, and I’m a bit confused. I don’t have lots of tips to hand out—I have been an academic writer, and believe me, you read most of that stuff because you are required. I don’t think aspiring historical fiction writers are interested in proper citations or current historiography. I also don’t think I want to add videos of family reunions or photos of my dogs to this blog. I have always liked the idea of writing as an extension of the anonymous self, although I can’t help but picture Hemingway leaning on a bar in the sweltering heat whenever I read even a title of one of his novels. We’ll see. Maybe I’ll take to this blogging thing and reveal long-hidden secrets. Of course, isn’t that why one writes fiction?