Say something, anything
Test -one, two, three-
Anything but… that
— “Tango Maureen”, RENT
Hello hello there!
This is it. My very first post on this platform. Am I excited? Yes. Am I also trembling with existential dread as I post this? Absolutely. But here we go!
To be perfectly honest, this is the third time I have tried to “put myself out there” on the world wide web.
Years ago when I was in college I thought it would be fun to start a blog. I set up a WordPress site when the platform was still similar to Blogspot and most features were easy-peasy to use, and posted a few times… before giving up. Between working odd jobs as a translator, meeting deadlines for essays and homework, and reading about 3 books per week for my classes, my sleep-deprived self quit writing altogether (I’ll tell you that story one day).
The second time was in 2022 because most creators I followed recommended starting a blog to “build your audience and writing portfolio”. So there I go again to WordPress, now a massive site with protocols a bit more complex. But I ran away after my first hiccup with servers, codes, and web editors. DX
You know, despite being a millennial and having a supposedly more intuitive approach to technology, understanding how hosting works and deciphering all the WP plugins is NOT my thing. I wanted to write, not become a web developer. I abandoned the project and focused on building my career as a translator and editor, which was not a bad idea.
But I still wanted to write.
And now, here we are on Substack. It’s easy enough to use, and hopefully, it will be a place where I can share my thoughts and stories. No distracting bells and whistles! At least I can focus on writing and making a few doodles instead of being yelled at by SEO scorings…
Third time’s a charm, as they say, so let’s hope I stick to it this time!
A big disclaimer upfront: This Substack will have a little bit of everything. I tried to niche down, but life is bigger than a perfectly curated box. Sure, I won’t talk about math or hard science, but I can’t promise to choose just one thing and stick to it.
I already have a few ideas for this space: musings on language, the beauty and terror of life, your good ‘ol book reviews, a glimpse at my art explorations, and perhaps a series on my teaching experiences. Thoughts on life, language, and art, if you wish.
This feels like a new house I just moved into. The rooms are empty, my voice echoes through the freshly painted walls. Right now I only got a mattress and I’m trying to figure out how to operate the kitchen -or all the Substack tools in this case.
I hope you’ll join me as I settle in. :)
Until then, may life be kind to you.
Love, Romy