What I Have Been Up To & A New Blog Direction

Almost a month ago now, I declared myself tired of monotony and vowed to rise above mediocrity: to dream, and then do, big things.

And then I went on vacation.

Or more correctly, I worked like a bat out of hell for a solid week at home and at work in order to get ready to go on vacation. Then I went.

It was great. For the most part, I turned off my iPhone and just enjoyed the scenery. We drove about 3,000 miles round trip, all the way from the frigid highways of Madison, WI to the less-frigid mountains of western Wyoming.

Yes, I went to Wyoming in winter. No, I do not need to see a therapist.

The state was delightfully more empty than usual, which is saying something considering the fact that Wyoming is second only to Alaska as the least densely-populated state in the union.

The idea was to get away. To see the mountains. To enjoy life and not a screen.

And it was blissful. Short, but blissful.

And it gave me a lot of time to think: What should I be doing with this blog?

Everyone says you need a niche – one category in which to be declared an expert. I have rejected that idea up until now, mostly because I am a person that is interested in nearly everything. Proof: I watch college football and read Jane Austen and do not find the two incongruent.

But I do realize that the wisdom of other bloggers – those that have come before and blazed the trail and all other sorts of other metaphors for being first – matters. I realize that they might know a thing or two about gaining an audience and keeping one.

So I feel that I should take it to heart.

But I’m not going to do so without a little snark, as is my nature.

You see, I think I have come up with a topic that will not only focus my blog in a singular direction, but still allow me to write and talk about everything that I want to whenever I want to. Because after all: it is my blog. I have to enjoy doing it.

My ticket to blogging bliss: it’s all about the story.

That’s it. It really is all about the story. I’m going to be blogging about stories.

I’m still fleshing out what this means. I’m going to think about it over the weekend and get back to you.

How did you decide what would be your blog’s focus? Was it a hard decision for you like it was for me?