Why I’m Starting a Blog
I have always been an avid reader and writer since childhood. The Magic Tree House series, The Chronicles of Narnia, and anything written by Rick Riordan filled my younger days with epic adventures and strange creatures. But it wasn't until earlier this year of 2021 did I entertain myself with the idea of creating a platform where I could express myself. At that time, I had become active on Goodreads and discovered the world of book reviews. I had also finished reading How to Win at College by Cal Newport, a book my father bought for me in lieu of of the uneasiness that comes with an only child's departure to college. One of Newport's most memorable advice was to write outside of class.
Despite my interest, I had no idea where to begin, so months passed with this idea left simmering on a backburner. It only became a reality when I started learning Python last week. During my initial research phase as I navigated through swamps of learning resources, I stumbled upon the existence of Jekyll, a static site generator. I could customize my website as I liked and manage my content by creating files, pushing the changes to my repository, and seeing my changes unfold online. It seemed easy enough, but I soon learned that was not so for someone like me, who had zero programming experience. For the next week, tabs crowded my laptop until I could no longer make out what was what; error messages induced aggressive typing and dumbfounded stares; YouTube videos, Stack Overflow, and Google became my best friends. I even uninstalled the application and redid the entire process... twice. But I am glad it was not all for naught.
Now as for the reason why I was inspired to start a blog, it isn't true that I was enticed by the fact that the book bloggers I followed did it, or because some writer said I should to "win at college." It was also not about amassing a following. Instead, I wanted to create a repository and a playground where I could share the things I experienced and thought about—a place where I could document things for my current self to appreciate and for my future self to reflect on.
Most importantly, I wanted to create a safe space where I could improve on articulating my thoughts and expressing my views amid the noise that surrounds us all. Because for as long as I can remember, I have struggled with self doubt that my writing was never good enough, whether that meant it wasn't articulate enough, compelling enough, or that it was too pretentious or too juvenile. I disliked being on the other end of the microscope, having every part of me dissected like a frog. But throughout this process, I will try to overcome my uncertainties, or else I fear I will never be able to write something worthy. These are my goals for starting a blog, and hopefully my accomplishments when I look back at my first post.