But what is this?
Hello there! You must have stumbled across my little blog where I write about all things creative that come into my life. I am writing about literature I enjoy (or am curious about) or don’t enjoy, and I will tell you exactly why I did or did not enjoy said literature. I also reserve the right to talk about movies, TV shows, plays, operas and musicals, podcasts, art and the occasional nonfiction musing that I come across and feel strongly about.
Things that you will not find here are: political or religious commentary, overtly personal issues, general grumpiness, and anything that I consider to be hateful or depressing. There are plenty of other people who have filled that space on the interwebs, so if you are expecting such things form me, I recommend that you move along.
I also reserve the right to blog about my pup. She is a beautiful bright spot in my life (and a few others’), and makes everyone smile. She was a stray, but I don’t know who saved who; she has brought a love out of me that I did not know I possessed. I share her with the world as much as I can.
Buy why start a blog? Its not like this has NEVER been done by ANYONE else, particularly in the world of literature. Way to be a little slow on the uptake, yo.
Here’s the deal. I’ve done a lot of “settling in” to myself over the last few years, and I find myself reflecting deeply on what is holds value in my life. I work in an industry that is not the most comfortable place to be, and have sacrificed a lot to do what I do, all for the sake of others. My work has sharp edges and I find myself feeling alone in a small group of people who have made similar decisions and sacrifices; however, regardless that my perception of our world is becoming dark and tiresome, the work is valuable and I would do it again without a second thought.
I spent a few years achieving two university degrees, each of which I threw my entire being into, and many of the things that made me happy fell to the wayside. I learned to trust my mind, my words, my questions and my self. I walked onto that campus one (anxious) person and across the stage another one entirely. I had been floating through my life up until that point and finally felt like I was doing something “worth it”. It was as if I was exactly where I was meant to be.
When I interviewed for my current position, my supervisor asked me, “What do you do for fun?” I rattled of a list of fun, albeit “work related” side projects, and he stopped me to ask the question again, “How do you unwind?”
I heard a few of my own heartbeats before I realized that I didn’t know. I had no answer. I had lost track of something while my focus was elsewhere.
This conversation happened almost exactly two years ago, and I have been making my life outside of work a conscious priority. I have gone back to some things that have always made me happy, and found a few new and surprisingly refreshing ways to “unwind”. I love learning about this side of myself, and one of the places that I have recently come back to is the world of novels.
Novels and other forms of fiction (and art) got me through some pretty tough times; sometimes escaping into someone else’s world was its own form of therapy. Its taken me two years to get back to it (six years away in total) because I had to let my brain chemistry calm down from overdrive while I was in school, but it recently came back into my life suddenly and with a life of its own. I am loving reading fiction with this newly molded mind of mine, and I love that there is an entire community of people talking about it. I have something to offer these conversations, and this shall be my platform (soapbox?).
I’m not sure how this will go down. I plan to write when I feel like it and have time available. Over time, I would like to write regularly and have a place in the world of fiction reviews, interacting with others who feel as passionately about stories and characters as I do.
So, without further ado, let’s turn over a new page and start a new chapter together.
-E
