Entry #1: Here I go, Again

Talking about how many times I've tried to blog, why I left last time, why I'm back, and what I plan to do from here. Not to mention some updates to my writing!

Rant

What in God’s name is malfunctioning in the brains of ambulance drivers on patrol, causing them to forget how to use their turn-signal? Do these guys think they can’t follow the same rules we do? Is it some kind of complex, where they need to cause an accident just to save the person they put in danger, and feel like a hero? Or is the act of flicking a six-inch long lever just the most labor-intensive thing in the world?
   Maybe they’re just tired after flicking their own one-inch lever all damn day.
   I see it all the time: that moment when an ambulance makes a left turn, without their blinker, in front of cross-traffic that’s approaching at 55 miles an hour. Uh--HELLO: you’re literally doing the same thing that gets people PUT in the back of the vehicle you’re CURRENTLY DRIVING.
   If these schmucks can’t take something like that seriously, how can I reasonably expect them to take my injuries seriously after some a*s causes an accident after not using their signal? All it takes is the right f*cking combo of some guy not using it, making me think he’s going straight, and then making a turn in front of me at the last second, not giving me time to react, and then I’m unconscious, bleeding the f*ck out, not even able to pray that someone calls for the very vehicle that can’t even be counted on to drive safely, either!
   And you can’t report the a*shats, either--God knows if you do, they’ll FoIA the complaint to get my name off the complaint, then blacklist my a*s. The last thing I want is my fiancé dying of her injuries because I’m numero uno on their sh*t-list, so their taking their sweet time getting to us.
   F*ck anyone who doesn’t use their blinker, the easiest f*cking thing in the world to remember.

Past Attempts

So, this is my fourth attempt at keeping a blog/journal. My first try was as an early teen, back on Chat Avenue way back when. I went by Light Knight then (boy, how pretentious, huh?) I wrote mostly one- or two- (or, dare I say, even THREE-) paragraph rants on a few general topics, which I kept expanding on sporadically. Sometimes once a week, sometimes several posts a day. I was fourteen, so I had the time. One series was just labelled “Music”, with the sequel posts being “Music 2” and so on. And yeah, I complained about exactly what an urban white goth-wannabe would complain about: nothing that really mattered. Same thing with everything else I wrote about.
   I do remember one good gem during that time before I left for LiveJournal: I wrote a long rant against God. Due to length-constraints, I had to split it into two posts. Did fairly well in views and likes, and even got me some engagement. My next attempt at something like that was writing about the orca killing his trainer at SeaWorld, and how we should leave nature the fu*k alone. Little did I know how right I’d called that at the time: I didn’t do a lot of research on everything leading up to that and had no idea that’d been the third trainer he’d killed. I didn’t learn that until I watched Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s documentary on Netflix, Blackfish.
   There was a major site-crash and I lost all those posts (except the one on God, since I’d written that out by hand, first.) I lost all desire to blog for a while. It wasn’t until I was eighteen I tried again, this time on LiveJournal. I totally missed the point of blogging, and my first post ended up really long, as I chronicled every single little detail of my first day as a senior. That took way too much time. Doing that, I didn’t get very far, giving up after a few posts to carry on writing my stories--always my top priority.
   I was out of the Corps when I started again. I was out of practice, and most of my posts I’d compare to the quality of someone just starting out on YouTube: short, unrefined, and lacking any personal style. Once again, I chose LiveJournal as my launching point. That time, I merely lost interest in it due to higher priorities. I was trying to get my novel published and even though I’d found a job, I was getting the run-around from the company conducting my background check (worthless f*ckwits those guys were) so bills were piling up. A few months later, I found the journal had been deleted due to inactivity. Figures, I’d forgotten that policy.
   So, I moved everything over to Writers Cafe. Kept the same name for the blog and reposted all previous entries. Also, I’d never really given up on it, it’d just taken a backseat to real life, so I consider it the same attempt (hence why this is my fourth, and not fifth, attempt at blogging.) But then I lost Everwood, a dear pet of mine, and I also lost all interest in doing just about anything other than throwing myself into my “day” job. That was a little over a year ago.
   And now, here I am, trying once more.
   There was some debate in my mind about trying to write a blog versus doing a vlog on YouTube. There’d be pros and cons for me doing either or both.
   I love to write, for the most part. Well, that and play games. I have a Youtube channel, and even one specifically for my series, but I have nothing uploaded to them. YouTube’s pretty much just what I put on for background content as I work on whatever piece has my attention. I’d have to probably download a whole bunch of software that wouldn’t get me anywhere near the quality of other Tubers, and then buy a metric a*s-load of hardware to get me the rest of the way.
   I’d need an entirely new laptop, for one, as my screen is busted (and nobody around can seem to repair it.) I currently have it hooked up to my flat screen to compensate and would have to orient my entire setup to overcome that. Seeing as how most devices I’ll need utilize wires and USB ports, that again limits the setup. Imagine seeing that awkward clusterf*ck on-screen: you wouldn’t pay a lick of attention to what I’m saying--you’d be too busy laughing at me. And I wouldn’t blame you. Not a great first impression.
   Then there’s the decision whether to show or not show my face, along with a thousand other artistic choices (background art, layouts, intro, outro, some or no royalty-free background music, finding a good Fair-Use notice, scheduling time for editing, all that.) It’s quite a bit of work that I’ve already achieved with my blog, just to have to do all over again.
   Now, some of the benefits of a Youtube channel are monetization and diversity of content. While building a strong base-audience can be very time-consuming and frustrating. You have to brand, target your intended audience, advertise yourself where you think they may be, hook them, etc. That audience is very loyal and very rewarding when they find someone putting out content they like. Listen to a livestream of anyone with a thousand regular viewers (far more valuable than subscribers, in my opinions) and you’ll notice that, too. They LOVE supporting creators who put out content they like. They love sending in SuperChats, and Tubers who’ve built up their target audience enjoy reading those chats. It’s a win-win for all--even YouTube, who scams 30% off the top of each SuperChat, AFTER adding tax.
   The other benefit I mentioned, diversity of content, means a few things. You’re putting out not only different content from whatever else you’re creating, but in a way people haven’t seen from you, supplying new discoveries for your audience. I know that sounds confusing at worst and silly at best, but just stick with me on this a second: have you ever read something presented very well--a posted essay or story, let’s say--from a writer you like? Have you found yourself wondering what they sound like, what they say when unfiltered and off-the-cuff? What do they ramble about? How do they feel on topics not normally covered in their blog? Does their voice match what you’d thought it’d be when looking at their blog’s profile pic? My point is, you present a whole new way for your audience to experience your content: you. Now, you are that content.
   Well, I don’t consider myself interesting enough to listen to.
   Considering all that, I just took back up the blog. I don’t have the money to put down to set up a personal mini-studio, and I already had this all worked out in the format I already do. I can’t invest money I’d rather put into a cover for my latest novel or paying for printer ink so I can proofread my stories by hand before posting them anywhere. I only have so much capital. This was the best option at the moment. Not that I don’t have plans for going to Youtube at all. Just not yet.

What Got Me Back

Go figure, it was a blog that convinced me to try this one more time. An article from Just Publishing Advice[1] covered the benefits of keeping a regularly updated blog. Sure, it mentioned money, but what really got me was how Derek Haines labelled it “a terrific means of maintaining a disciplined writing schedule.” Being a Marine, I’m all for anything that’ll discipline my mind, focusing my attention on writing. I like getting into the habit.
   And, honestly, that’s it. Reading that article was all I needed to kick my rear into gear. I want to be putting out regular content for my readers (when or if I get any) to consume, getting to know me deeper than my stories or 280-character shouts into the aether.

Intentions Going Forward

I’m combining a few ideas here to be able to make this something worth coming back to. I found a blog that outlined a very simple idea: write 720 words a day, every day. About anything, at all. Whatever comes to mind. That’s it. This way, I have a quota to meet. Just writing out that simple history with blogging above got me over that goal and took only a few minutes.
   I think I’ll stick with monthly posts, as well as the interludes between them, that’ll consist of just writing updates. I’ll save the in-depth looks into me for the main entries. Mixed between them, I’ll post one of the older posts from the original journal before I removed it. Or maybe just specific articles. There are some I want to keep on the web, like the stuff from “Entry #13: Weinstein’s Fall,” when I talked about sexual assault and the importance of reporting it, as well as ranted about Harvey. That went down when I removed my last attempt.
   Just a few things I plan on writing about would be a review of Xenoblade Chronicles, X, and 2, how I write and tools I use to get started, using games as inspiration for stories, music I listen to while writing, if I ran for (any) Office, and YouTubers I watch with commentary about their content.

Writing Updates

Since I took down the original journal, there have been some significant changes in my life. I have a new Patreon[2] account, which I’m now hosting Faerie Quest on. I’m a little lost on what to provide for tiers. I guess I’ll just let whatever patrons I get decide what they’ll want to see from me.
   Then there’s the promotional network I made for my series. I made a Facebook page[3], Twitter page[4], and an Instagram[5]. As you can see, there’s a bit of a theme going on here. I’m trying to build up a brand around “Apocalyverse.” That’s what I want to represent my series.
   And please ignore the saturation of Power Rangers on my Instagram. I started following one Rangers actor... then I had to follow ALL of them. #NoRegrets.

Closing

I look forward to getting back to blogging and trying to provide something more for those who might be interested in my content. I welcome questions and comments and all other forms of engagement, so feel free to provide them on whatever platform you saw this post on. No need to create a sock account just to tell me you think I’m wrong about this or that.
  Until then, f*ck triggered feelings, it’s okay to be whatever race you are (including white,) jokes aren’t “targeted harassment,” I’m more than just a letter representing my sexuality, and please come back soon!

Sources & Links

1 Just Publishing Advice (@justpublishing) blog, “Why Self-Publishers Need To Blog -- Money And Books”

2 Patreon account
3 Promo Facebook
4 Promo Twitter
5 Promo Instagram

Author's Note

Please don't create an account here just to respond to this journal. Engage wherever you found the link to it. This site doesn't need a ton of sock-accounts. However, if my journal drew you here and you want to try your hand at writing, feel free to join the community!

Feel free to comment, like, and share. If you're a writer here, feel free to rate. I love engagement of any kind! Also, I have other writing I'm working on here, so feel free to check any of that out and let me know what you think.