I’ve been an awful blogger. I mean, I technically earn a living from it, mostly writing tech tutorials for www.makeuseof.com, but specifically I’m terrible at blogging on my own sites.
This is the third iteration of my personal space, but you shouldn’t be wondering about the others (they’re incorporated here one way or another). Rather, the question you should be asking is: “will he bother to update it?”
As it’s been a good few months since my last blog (probably over a year) it’s probably worth reintroducing myself.
I’m mostly known as Christian Cawley, although for reasons best left ignored, some (old friends, blood relatives over 10) know me as Mark. I like to think of one as a “pen name”, although this is instantly complicated by the fact my wife addresses me with the pen name, as do friends online and off.
I’ve worked as a writer full time since October 2010. At the time of writing this post, that’s almost a decade. In that time I’ve worked for nearly a dozen websites, half a dozen magazines, built up some good contacts, and found myself collaborating with some really great people.
Quitting a job with The Man and going freelance was the best thing I ever did. The money was crap at first, but within 3 years I was earning more, doing what I wanted to do, spending more time at home. The weight off my shoulders that freelancing delivered probably helped with a successful round of fertility treatment, too. In 2011 my wife gave birth to twins (one of each) and in 2017 we welcomed a natural birth (another girl).
However, I don’t want to be a tech tutorial writer until the end of time.
Or however long we have.
My aspirations as a writer
Rather, I have aspirations to write comedy. I’ve written several comedy scripts in the 25-30 minute UK TV sitcom format (some audience, some single camera) which I’ll probably post here at some point. (I’m finally over the “someone might nick it” phase that has been with me since my first website back in 2000.) I feel each script is more accomplished than the previous effort, so perhaps I’ll there one day.
There’s also an ambition to write fiction, probably in book form. “Novel” sounds a bit hoity-toity, as I’m under no illusions that whatever I produce would be pulpy action adventure nonsense with a few jokes thrown in. Those are, after all, the types of stories people like to read. I notice that readers of “Literary Fiction” tend to either just display it on their coffee table, fail to complete it, or read it once and forget about it.
Politically, I’m socially conservative and more economically liberal. I’m a member of the SDP, so strictly a Social Democrat, although I joined them mainly because they seem to be on the whole a well balanced bunch.
To keep visitors (I’m optimistic) to this blog entertained I’m planning to share my thoughts about things, my writings, also a few photos and images that I’ve created. There might be reflections on life, a few things that don’t make it into my written journal, and maybe the result of ideas that start off there.
Ultimately, I’m planning to be interesting. I think my wife and children find me at least vaguely interesting, but the novelty might be wearing off. So now it’s your turn.
