Testing the Waters

One small step for man, an even smaller step for writer

If you are reading this, then I probably goaded you into subscribing. If not, that means I’ve done something right. Either way, I welcome you to the little soapbox I’ve decided to call my “yard sale.” One may ask why I chose to call it a “yard sale” of all things; the answer is quite simple. In my experience, you never know what you’ll find at a yard sale. I’ve found books published during the Truman presidency, guitar gear undervalued, fine china that not a crumb of food has ever touched, well-worn records (mostly oldies with a few gems sprinkled about), clothes that had fallen into cultural oblivion only to emerge once more today as fashionable, toys marked by the rough play of their past owners, opulent mahogany furniture, and so much more. In short, the yard sale has come to be synonymous with “miscellaneous” to me, a menagerie of trinkets and treasures, the nature of which remains unknown until one looks.

This is what I want this publication to be. This will be the place I put out the bits and pieces, the odds and ends; maybe it will be a review of an album whose songs have lodged themselves in my mind for weeks on end. Maybe it will be a short story I wrote about whatever came to mind. Maybe it will be some news about a long-form story I’ve decided to serialize in another publication (something I do plan to do; N.B. first installments will be posted here as well as in their respective publications). Maybe it will be an opinion piece about whatever happenings come about, online or in real life. Maybe it will be an essay about a topic that caught my eye that week or something in my life I gleaned some wisdom or insight from. The possibilities are endless!

Hopefully I’ve piqued your interest, even if just out of morbid curiosity. You may now be wondering just how often I’ll be posting on here. The truth is, I’m not entirely sure. As a full-time college student pursuing two majors and a minor, I’ve found myself chronically lacking time (and money. Moreso money than time. Well, they’re about equal in their dearth, really). With deadlines constantly creeping up behind my back, giving way to all-nighters fueled by nothing but an attitude of Camusian defiance against my situation every other week, it’s hard to find time to write for solely for pleasure, and it’s especially hard to research topics outside of my own studies. With all that being said, I have a goal of publishing about three or four pieces a month—roughly one every week, plus a monthly roundup at the end of each month. Will I be able to hold myself to this number? Will the articles be published in time? Can I write that much extra with all that I have on my plate already? Time will tell! As for now (that is, the time of this entry’s publishing), take it as tentative fact.

With all this, you might be wondering what exactly my goal here is. Is this part of some elaborate plan? Are you pegging your future success upon this blog? Are you making this as some kind of statement? The fact of the matter is, I just want to share my writing with other people. When I came to college, I had hoped there’d be more opportunity for me to share, to show other people the things I’ve been working on and to hear from them what they thought about my work. However, thus far I’ve been somewhat disappointed; perhaps that’s subject to change. But as to why I’m starting this whole thing up? Simply for the love of it. Hopefully you’ll be joining me ⬢

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