Welcome

So...

Blogging has never come naturally to me. Part of the reason is that I did tours as an enlisted man in both the Marine Corps and the Army. If there's one thing you internalize after spending a few years as a low-level ground-pounder, it's that your personal opinion doesn't matter.

Hence the complete lack of a blog up until now.

That said, I've been a civilian long enough to break out of that thought process a little bit. So what can you expect to find in this space?

Stuff about writing:

Part of the reason I'm doing this is to organize my thoughts on the subjects of writing and storytelling. I'll talk a little bit about process, about advice I've gotten, and about my working habits.

Basically, if I find something that works for me, I'll try to break down how and why. The same thing goes for what doesn't work. I don't expect my ways to work for everyone, but there are lots of people on this crazy path. If you're a writer or other creative type, hopefully you'll find something useful here.

Stuff about genre:

I'm a lifelong science fiction and fantasy fan. Like many fans, one thing I tend to obsess over are genre boundaries. What makes a Sword and Sorcery tale a Sword and Sorcery tale? Why not Epic Fantasy? I don't believe in hard and fast definitions, but I do think it's fun to poke around the edges of a story and see if I can figure out where it fits. I plan to do plenty of that here. 

Fiction reviews:

My favorite sub-genres are old school Space Opera, Planetary Romance (aka Sword and Planet), and Sword and Sorcery. The genres that flourished in the heyday of the pulps. I'll be reviewing stories by some of the greats including Robert E. Howard, Leigh Brackett, and Edgar Rice Burroughs. 

I also plan to talk about some of the later writers working from the foundations laid in the pulp era. Sword and Sorcery in particular had a strong revival in the 1960's and 70's, giving rise to second-wave writers like Michael Moorcock, Richard Tierney, and Karl Edward Wagner. 

Other stuff I like:

Aside from writing and genre, my geeky interests are all over the board. I like old school video games, music, and movies. I was also a rabid D&D fan during the 2nd Edition days. Expect posts about things like Tony Martin's first few Black Sabbath albums, my favorite samurai movies, and which of the original Castlevania games I liked the best.
     
In sum, this blog is probably going to be a weird place. I hope some of you stick around.