100 Posts: Why I Write, And Moving Forward

Holy shit.

Hey guys, Aaron here, and well, this is the 100th article, or post, on Reading Between.  I just wanted to talk a bit, reflect, on why, and how, exactly I started this blog, and what I want to do in the future regarding it.

The History of Reading Between and I

So, Reading Between originally started in June, and that was only because I thought during the summer, I needed to keep my brain sharp, and so, why not just put all my writing, my analytical crap, on a single blog?  At the suggestion of a friend, I started this blog, and named it Reading Between, because, of course, Reading Between (The Lines) or (The Pages) etc. was just a bit too cliche.  Wanted to analyze stories, and well, honestly couldn’t think of anything else.  :P Of course, the name might change in the future, but honestly, who knows at this point!

Anyways.  Originally, I only researched, only created articles, or reviews, once or twice a month.  It was, after all, just a way to keep my brain sharp in preparation for school, right?  But then, all my plans got derailed thanks to some financial and personal situations, and I had to take a huge break from life in general.  Stopped college, hardly worked, didn’t even really experience anything new, I had to take time to just reflect, and think on what I wanted, and what I loved.

I realized then, that I just loved being able to talk about, and experience stories: anime, games, manga, webcomics, and more.  As such, I thought maybe, just maybe, I could do my best to invest just a bit more into Reading Between: not for any success, but for me.  I knew I wanted to go back to college when I was back on my feet, but I wanted to also do something I cared about, to have fun with, and this blog was, and is, that thing.

It’s taken a while- officially, I started the blog in June of last year, but in the past fourish months, I’ve posted 5 things almost every week.  That’s surprising to me, really, where I’ve kept up this sort of schedule for something I cared about, and honestly, the first time I’ve kept anything of mine going so consistently.  In the midst of college work, in the midst of other responsibilities, I’ve been able to keep it going.

I mean, 100 posts?  I’ve never, ever, been able to do something so consistently on my own terms.  So, forgive me for saying it again, but man.

Reading Between is something I’m proud of, and for once, I’m proud to say that I did this all for me, free of expectation.  And I’m happy that I could share it with those few internet dwellers, with you guys, who actually take the time to read whatever thoughts go through my odd, overly-nostalgic, relatively analytic head.  At this point, Reading Between numbers 59 followers, and over two thousand views on my articles: and that’s crazy to me, thinking that anyone would consider this blog even worth that quick click? At this point, I just want to keep it going, ride it out, and see where it goes.

The Future

This being said, I’m currently in the midst of…well. About 33 pages worth of essays, and four annoying finals, hence the late posts, unorganized things, such and such.  Because of all this, I’ll be taking a short break, just for the upcoming week.

But come this summer, man, I want to go in.  Redesigns, new writing projects, experiencing all sorts of new anime, games, anything, I want to make Reading Between something better- something to be more proud of, and maybe get this out to more people.  Perhaps, I’ll try and see if I can actually get more involved in a legitimate blogging community?  Perhaps, I’ll try writing somewhere else as well?  Maybe I’ll try actually learning some decent Photoshop skills?  Make my writing more…expressive, complex, understandable?  We’ll see, I guess!

It’s a passion project, and something I don’t want to give up for a long time- after all, there’s so, so, so much more to talk about!  The worlds of anime, gaming, and more, have so many stories to explore, and have so many old ones to appreciate!  That being said though, next week, I do want to schedule something as a bit of a mini-celebration.

Starting May 1st, from Monday-Friday, I’ll release a series of 5 posts,  talking about my ten favorite stories of all time.  Reading Between was started because I realized a love for stories, and how they affected me, and what better way to celebrate 100 posts than acknowledging the ten stories that really started it all off?  The regular articles will still be posted, but there’ll just be a little extra something, for those of you who’d care to read my opinions.

Anyways.  For those who have read this, if you follow the blog, or don’t, thank you immensely for taking the time to do so.  Hope you’ll stick around, because the path only goes up from here!

 

Tl;dr: Reading Between is a passion project I’m proud of, I’m taking a break for the next week, my top ten stories of all time are coming at the beginning of May, I’m gonna do my best to keep moving forward, and I’m so, so thankful for anyone who has visited the blog or commented on it.  Thank you <3