Today, since I just got started posting on Substack, I decided to post what I considered to be a mission statement for what my intentions were for that blog. However, the longer I was writing, the more I realized much of what I was writing for Substack also matched my evolving intentions for this site, my blogging home base, so to speak.
With that in mind, I decided to post a slightly altered version of that post below. Consider it a revised mission statement for Liegois Media.
Essentially, what this will be about is writing – specifically, me talking about the art of writing and occasional bits of advice about writing, some of my own original work that aren’t blog posts, as well as my experiences with the craft and a hint of memoir as I recount my continued growth and progression as a writer in my own right1-2.
Let’s tackle each of those topics in turn, shall we? Just like they taught us in school (and I have been teaching everyone from junior high, high school, and junior college students over the past several years).
The Art of Writing
I think one of the biggest topics of this blog will obviously be about the art of writing. I have worked in professions that have a heavy emphasis on writing skills for more than 25 years. During that time, I have developed a few ideas about writing, how it should be done, what are the important elements of writing and how someone who wants to really improve their writing should concentrate on.
As reflected in this blog, this might, sometimes, involve posts where I discuss what could be called writing advice. More often, it will involve discussing my philosophy of writing, how this is evolved over time, and what it is now.
There are three things that I can comfortably say about myself as a writer. First, I can definitely say, that through a combination of a small innate talent, a strong desire to excel at expressing myself, and more than a few years of experience, that I am a very good writer. I also believe that since one lifetime is nowhere near enough time to learn everything about writing, I also still have a lot to learn and room to grow as a writer. But I have learned a bit, and I’ve grown a bit as well.
So, me discussing that philosophy and the various ways how I put it into practice will be a major part of this blog. I don’t think I would have wanted to become a teacher in the first place, for example, if I didn’t want to share that love of writing. And this place will be another way for me to do that.
My Work
It’s only natural that if this is going to be a blog about writing, that I would actually share some of this writing with you. By writing, I’m talking about stuff that’s not blatantly blogs, but other forms of writing.
Over the years, I’ve shared examples of short stories and essays on various subjects on this blog. About a decade ago, I got convinced to actually try my hand at poetry, with some results that were… satisfying, at least? Take some time and look around the “My Works” category if you want to see them.
I have not contemplated what a paid subscription to this blog might look like, and it will be a while before I think I can make that next step. However, maybe some of that work becomes exclusive content… I’ll have to think about it. Go ahead and check it out, though.
A Writer’s Progress
A good portion of this blog will be me recounting what I have been trying to do as a writer and the progress I have made up to this point. I started doing a little series entitled A Writer’s Biography where I looked back on my life and how I came to be fascinated with writing and fiction. That might wind up being a project in its own right, as I have been reviewing and examining the posts that I have written so far and I’ve now been toying with turning it into its own project. I never anticipated being one of those memoirists, but it appears that I’ve been doing it almost unintentionally. We’ll have to see where that goes.
I’ve also been discussing my efforts to get published in one form or another. Part of my dreams came true when I finally became a published novelist with my book The Holy Fool, but I’m wanting to move forward and write more stuff and put it before an audience. Right now, I am contemplating moving forward with the self-publishing route for several different reasons3. I’ll discuss that journey, as well as some of the things I experience as a writer online.
On this blog, one of the more frequent types of posts are my weekly writing journals, where I recount my weekly word counts and if I am meeting the daily quotas I’ve set for myself. I certainly will keep doing that on the WordPress blog, because I find that being publicly accountable for the writing I do helps me to keep self-motivated. Go ahead and check them out if you want a laugh some days.
As far as when you will see posts here, I think I can guarantee that I can put out new content on at least a bi-weekly basis or weekly basis. I am leaning towards Saturdays being my publishing/posting days, although I will likely start putting those posts together in the proceeding days. Also, there will be some bonus posts I make here that will be “archive” material from my WordPress blog.
I think I have covered most everything regarding what this blog will look like in the weeks and months to come. I would like eventually have monthly discussion threads with readers, and I will plan to do the first one later this month. Keep posted here as to exactly when that will be3.
I’m looking forward to hearing from you in the time to come. Take care, everyone.
Footnotes:
- I have to say that’s a pretty nice little thesis statement I whipped up. It would be worth at least an A- in one of my Composition 1 classes.
- (Also, after using Substack, I have to say that I really love how it has a really good format to set up footnotes. As some previous readers of this blog might have noticed, I’ve begun to get more addicted to putting footnotes in my posts than David Foster Wallace.)
- I was aiming this at my Substack readers, but I might look at how I might set up something like that here on WordPress, as well.
Liegois Media 