4 August 2009

 I learned at the Historical Novels Conference this June that successful authors must have blogs.  I cringe a little at this idea, as I am fairly appalled at the amount of personal information published on the web.  It seems to me an intimation of bad taste.  Would Jane Austen blog to her readers, describing every detail of Harris Bigg-Wither’s marriage proposal?  Would she, in her next blog, explain that Bigg-Wither is, in truth, a cad whom she cannot possibly marry, with illustrations of his poor character?  I think not. 

 Nevertheless, I desperately want to be a successful author—the term “successful” here being defined as “published.”  So, here is my blog.  In entries to come, you will hear about my life as a writer and reader, and as a teacher of writing.  In proper good taste, you will learn little about my  arousing, arresting,  bracing,  electrifying, exhilarant, eye-popping, far-out,  hair-raising, heady, impelling,  racy, rip-roaring, rousing, spine-tingling, , titillating,  zestful, and oh-so-mysterious personal life. 

 (The author would like to thank thesaurus.com for sections of today’s blog.)