I’m writing this while waiting for a game to update. I guess that’s representative of most of the recent pieces I’ve put out. Brief ideas turned into (often crude) pieces and pushed out for the world to see with zero expectations. And I love it.

I don’t know why. Maybe it’s the freedom? It’s certainly something I’ve always done, though never in this quantity or manner. Over ten years ago now I put out my first bit of writing. The god-awful fan fics that seem to be a rite of passage and that are so cringeworthy now as to make me wonder if there’s still time to expunge them from the Internet.

But no. I’ve left them up there. For the same reason I still have my first runs in Nike+. Yes they were slow (potential candidate for understatement of the year). But when I look back now, and track my pace and PBs it gives me an immense sense of satisfaction.

There is only one way to get better at something (unless it’s running, in which case there are two ways but one results in a DQ after a urine sample): just do more of it. Most mornings, evenings, breaks and periods of idleness I’ll hop on reddit, visit /r/WritingPrompts and pick a prompt. I can post pages of existential waffle, or bat out a few lines of dialogue.

There are no rules except those in the title. There are no expectations except making other people think or feel.

I can try new forms or methods. First person, third person, heck even second person. Describe every object in the room down to the sheen off of the brass in the fireplace light or not even make reference to the gender of the characters. And in return I get karma, often a trickle, once in a blue moon a flood. OPs normally respond with a “Thanks, great take on the idea!”

Maybe one day I’ll mash some ideas together and write a prompt that lasts more than 500 words. Or I’ll take 500 prompts and release a leather bound volume. But for now, I’m happy to be writing.