Writing Goals

  Recently I came to the conclusion that I should write more often.  That is, I believe, I should start to consider myself a "writer."  That's the main reason there's been a bit of an increase in publishing to this blog (going from zero over the past few years to a couple times a month is a pretty huge jump).  

  I, like most humans, have thoughts and opinions which are a product of the times and places in which I live.  I figure I can do my part for future historians and write a few of them down.  I also just might have enough creative juice to pump out a story or two.

This blog

  I'd like to post to this blog at least once a week from now on, or at a minimum once a month.  Really, anything at all would be better than what I've been doing.  I'll mainly write about my life, family, interests, and opinions about, current events and local and state politics (I'll try to steer clear of national issues for my own sanity).  Pretty much whatever I feel like, but definitely not work.

Short stories

  I'm going to try my hand at some fiction.  Which sounds pretty intimidating.  However, creative writing was one thing I actually remember finding surprising joy in when I was forced to do it in school.  There are many of reasons why it's important to have a creative outlet.  I might as well try my hand at this one.

  I like the idea of writing short stories.  I don't think I have the capacity to write a novel or anything like that at this point.  My stories will likely be crap but everyone needs a creative outlet.  Heck, maybe after careful editing and re-write I might muster up enough courage to submit one of my crappy short stories to a literary magazine.  Or, when that fails, post it here.

Reading

  Like Stephen King says "If you don't have time to read you don't have time to write".  I'll be reviving my goal of reading the greatest novels of the 20th century.  I've compiled my novel reading list here.  I also want to read more biographies and other interesting well written non-fiction.  I might even write a bit about what I've been reading here as I have a couple of times in the deep dark past.

  Currently, from my list of novels, I'm reading through A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce.  I'm enjoying Joyce a lot more than I was anticipating.  But I don't think I'm quite ready to talk Ulysses yet. What should I read next?