It should be no surprise that I maintain this and at least one other blog. Moreover, it should be no surprise, given my stated desires to be a published author (of fiction) that I write a lot. Not always along the front of fiction; but I am prone to do a lot of writing.

Finding outlets for writing, though, can be pretty hard. There are proponents (in the writing world) that would suggest the only real writing you can do (to accomplish becoming a published author) is writing with an emphasis toward fiction. Granted, I don’t disagree with this assertion wholly, I do disagree with it.

To succeed at becoming a fiction writer the burgeoning author does need to focus a lot of his or her time (writing) toward the area where the author wants to be successful. On the flip-side to that, the burgeoning author will also focus his or her reading time in the areas the author wants to succeed. If you want to write horror, chances are you will be reading horror and working through a variety of short and long pieces that deal with very specific horror elements. One of my (current) favorite authors, Kim Harrison, is sold to a horror market, though I find most of the elements in her books to not fit within that category.

However, this does not negate the need for the individual to begin writing toward a very specific end: writing.

You have to find reasons and ways to write often. As stated before, Neil Gaiman has stated, on his blog, that he was a journalist but is not any longer. He wrote as a journalist, made his living that way, until he felt that what he wrote sounded enough like what he wanted to sound like that he started writing fiction. The fiction started to sell, and as a result we have one of the most talented fantasy authors in the genre today. He is also a proliferate blogger, screenwriter, and bit quite a few teeth writing the Sandman series of comic books as well as others. However, he wrote first.

One reason I maintain a blog(s) is to give me a reason to write (at least) once a day. I don’t always need blogging as a reason to write. For some years I made my living writing technical manuals. Then I decided to turn my attention away from technical manuals and point it toward fiction. Yes, I have written some unpublished books – however, it was the learning a new form of writing (e.g. fiction) that became the focus of my attention for some time. I still write technically (as my new job and boss reiterated as a part of my job), but I also spend a bit of time (most days) writing creative fiction as well.

However, if I do nothing else (except during stated periods of hiatus), I write a blog entry.

For me, the act of writing is as relaxing as the process of working through a new idea. I am working through some creative, long-form, fiction ideas (we call these novels). I also have some short fiction I may start shopping around soon. And yet, when I sit down to blog I don’t sit down with the intent of writing something concise and short; but rather to explore my opinions and ideas on whatever it is I am writing, to compact the entry as densely as I can, and to see how well I can express the idea(s) that I am choosing to explore. Because I read news, some of these are news and politically motivated; because I am a husband (and soon-to-be father) some of these entries are family oriented; because I am a son and brother, some of these are oriented in that way; because I enjoy storytelling, television, and movies, some of the things I write about are oriented in that way.

The objective of the writer is to write. In order to write well, you have to do it frequently. In order to write very well, there needs to be some kind of public forum through which your work can be shown. Blogging is one example of a public forum through which you can share your ideas and (if you want) stories, chapters, or the process of development you are going through as an aspiring author.