Starting Out

"Bloggers are self-indulgent, narcissistic, and far too full of self-importance. I mean, who wants to read the random musings of a person of no distinction?" That's what I used to think, when I read articles about the rapid proliferation of bloggers on the Web. Who on earth thinks their own personal ramblings would be of the remotest interest to any but themselves and a few close friends? Yet here I am, shortly after my 50th birthday, embarking on a blog.

Why am I doing this? Perhaps because, when I was young, I desperately wanted to be a writer, and could imagine no future in which I was not. Yet here I am at 50, with only one unpublished novella (it's awful--don't ask!) to my name, and no time in my life to write. So here is the great experiment: if I keep a blog, it will force me to write on a weekly basis, and to put those words out into the greater world for perusal, then perhaps gradually I will learn the discipline and get the courage to write those novels that have been banging around in my head for decades (well, pieces of them--I have a lot of trouble with endings). I know it's a big leap from blog entry to full-blown novel, but bear with me, Unknown Reader. (Also, please don't write anything too mean in your comments--I'm very sensitive and apt to curl up into a ball of misery for a day or two if you're cruel)

So, what does one talk about in a blog? I have no particular area of expertise, but I do love words, and conversation, especially witty conversation. I would have no trouble living in an Oscar Wilde play, a P.G. Wodehouse short story, or a Jane Austen novel. It would be bliss! Except for the fact that I would be the dullest character in there, as I am not particularly gifted at repartee. Oh God! Would I be the equivalent of a Lady Bracknell, an Aunt Agatha, or a female Mr. Collins? Actually, when I come to think of it, Lady Bracknell is rather witty, even if she's awful, so that wouldn't be too bad.

In any case, I do not live in any of those places, but in Philadelphia, a city not known for its eloquence or wit. It is the birthplace of the exclamation "Yo!"; it refers to itself as "Philly"; and it cites cheesesteaks and funnelcakes as examples of fine local cuisine. "Oh, what a snob you are! Cheesesteaks are delicious!" you cry, Unknown Reader. "Yes, I am," I dejectedly admit. "But cheesesteaks are not real food, nonetheless."

I think I shall end here for today. I am still new at this, and my blog is severely unadorned. I have been clicking all over, trying to find how to make it a little prettier, but am having no success. I think I'll take a tutorial or two before I write a second entry.