---
title: "Getting back on the Writing train"
date: 2004-02-06
author: "Richard MacManus"
categories:
  - name: "ReadWriteWeb"
    url: "/category/readwriteweb.md"
tags:
  - name: "2004"
    url: "/tag/2004.md"
---

# Getting back on the Writing train

So I’ve decided to write and serialize a short story on Read/Write Web. I’ll treat it as a mini-[Nanowrimo](https://web.archive.org/web/20050210171826/http://nanowrimo.org/), with me as the only participant (unless anyone else is game). I’ll aim for 10,000 words in 2 weeks, which is pretty cushy compared to [when I wrote](https://web.archive.org/web/20050210171826/http://www.readwriteweb.com/2003/11/29.html#a160) 50,000 words over 4 weeks in November 2003.

The story I have in mind will be a kind of Parable for the Blogosphere. Why a short story? The themes I want to write about are better suited to Narrative than to normal weblog posts. This was also [one of my motivations](https://web.archive.org/web/20050210171826/http://www.readwriteweb.com/2003/11/01.html#a140) for Nanowrimo 2003 btw. The main theme will be **Subjectivity vs System**. Some of the inspirations for this are: [Andrew](https://web.archive.org/web/20050210171826/http://www.andrewsw.com/news/index.php)‘s theory of the “blogosphere as a system” which he calls [“We are Blog”](https://web.archive.org/web/20050210171826/http://www.andrewsw.com/wiki/public/moin.cgi/WeAreBlog), which I’ve been following with interest and wishing he’d write more on; [Erik’s recent philosophizing](https://web.archive.org/web/20050210171826/http://erikbenson.com/index.cgi?node=nid:1248); [Paul Ford’s](https://web.archive.org/web/20050210171826/http://www.ftrain.com/SurrenderPigeons.html) amazing stories; my reading of [Kierkegaard](https://web.archive.org/web/20050210171826/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kierkegaard), which has pushed a lot of buttons for me re Individuality and Subjectivity; Cory Doctorow [releasing his second novel](https://web.archive.org/web/20050210171826/http://craphound.com/est/000041.html) online, which I can’t wait to read; all this talk of a [“new architecture for news”](https://web.archive.org/web/20050210171826/http://www.buzzmachine.com/archives/2004_01.html#006064) by the journo bloggers, which again I’ve been following with interest; watching The Matrix Reloaded again on DVD late last night, esp. the Architect’s speech (btw check out this [great analysis of The Matrix](https://web.archive.org/web/20050210171826/http://www.kryogenix.org/days/revolutions#au1068447068.47)); my continuing impatience with the [non-starting](https://web.archive.org/web/20050210171826/http://www.readwriteweb.com/2004/01/31.html#a196) of [The Game Neverending](https://web.archive.org/web/20050210171826/http://www.gameneverending.com/) (mind you impatience is one of my less favourable traits); my Yawn about [Orkut](https://web.archive.org/web/20050210171826/http://www.orkut.com/) (but thanks heaps to the 3 people who invited me after [my little sulk](https://web.archive.org/web/20050210171826/http://www.readwriteweb.com/2004/01/31.html#a194)!); my ongoing fascination with avatars and virtual worlds; plus assorted other inspirations all playing in my mind.

Not to mention it’s high time I put some effort into writing this year. I’ve also submitted an article proposal to [Digital Web Magazine](https://web.archive.org/web/20050210171826/http://www.digital-web.com/new/), which if accepted will give me an opportunity to write a technical *non*-fiction article. So the gist of this post is: I’m gettin’ back into my writing.

I hope to post my first instalment of my short story this Monday, or even Sunday if all goes well.

ps if anyone has read [my Nanowrimo novel](https://web.archive.org/web/20050210171826/http://www.readwriteweb.com/gems/nanowrimo_novel_nov03_0.91.pdf) (pdf), or even read portions of it, I’d very much appreciate your feedback on it. Even if you thought it was crap, please let me know either [by email](https://web.archive.org/web/20050210171826/http://radio.xmlstoragesystem.com/rcsPublic/mailto?usernum=0105304) or in a comment. As an amateur and unpublished writer, one never knows for sure how good one’s work is. So sock it to me.

*Originally published on ReadWriteWeb ([archived copy](https://web.archive.org/web/20020204040018/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/001799.php))*