Thus Beginneth

For some reason lost to the mists of time, “thus beginneth” was an expression my father used when things, well, began. And it’s the phrase I always think of when I’m starting something new.

Like this blog.

I am a champion starter. A great beginner. There’s nothing I love more than the rush of the new, the excitement of a fresh page, pondering a unique idea, noodling over my latest story. Or knitting project. Or weaving kit I absolutely must buy. I can see all these things finished in my mind’s eye—it’s getting to that point I have a problem with.

I feel confident starting this new blog, though. And that’s because I wrote a blog religiously for a dozen years. (You can still read over a thousand posts here.) And I loved it. I started my Wordstrumpet blog in 2007, as blogs were reaching their heyday. This was back in the days before social media had overtaken the world. It was only a year earlier that Facebook opened to non-college students, and I recall clearly when Twitter launched. So when I started blogging, it was a bright, shiny new way to communicate.

But gradually the excitement faded and the blog became a chore. Blogging had changed. People didn’t comment much anymore, because now they were all commenting on social media. I started out blogging on Typepad, which I adored, and then switched to WordPress, which I hated. While I always loved writing blog posts, the actual mechanics of posting became a huge hassle. And gradually, I wandered away.

I kept telling myself I’d go back, but I didn’t have it in me. My old blog (which also functioned as my website) felt heavy and bloated and the mere thought of returning to it made me feel like I was being dragged down into the mud. I dabbled on Medium (lots of my posts here) and enjoyed that until it seemed like the only posts people read were about how to make money on Medium.

And then I discovered Squarespace, and suddenly things look bright and shiny and new again. It’s easy to create a website here, and the blog interface is clean and functional. And I realized that I could do what I’ve been thinking about for the last couple of years—write a blog that is about writing and a whole lot more.

Writing about writing has been my thing for years now and you’ll have to drag me away from doing it in chains. But I’ve longed to expand beyond that as well, covering the topics and passions and obsessions that turn up in my fiction. Things like wine, knitting, travel, creativity, entrepreneurship, good coffee, fine food, cooking, gathering with friends and family. And book reviews, maybe interviews with other writers and creatives and makers. Posts about the things I love, like crosswords, and house plants and good soap.

Because the thing is, all these things are related to writing. At least in my world. Writing is life, life is writing. Which is why I’ve chosen to call this new blog The Write Life, and also why I couldn’t be more excited to start it. I hope you’ll come along for the ride.

And so, thus beginneth…