I’ve been relaxing over the last couple days, trying to learn video editing while catching up on Game of Thrones. My mind has been drifting towards everything I’ve experienced the last year as of late, especially since I’m working on a book about it. As I sit here and think about all the trials, tribulations, and triumphs, a few different emotions come to mind. I’m going to go through them now.
One, I’m grateful. I wrote as a hobby before GamerGate started. Guess what? No one cared. Not many people even knew I existed, outside of my friends and family. I think the most hits I’d ever gotten in a day was like 100. Now thousands come to the site daily. I can’t thank all of you enough. But as we head into the fall, and into my second year, I want to professionalize things a little bit more.
This is not to say that I’m going to change my style. I doubt I’ll be doing much of that. Then again, the goal as a writer is always to get better. So hopefully that will occur naturally. I could sit here and cut out all the expletives and colorful language, but I don’t think anyone wants that. I talk about what I’m doing in my real life sometimes as well. This isn’t an accident. I have more fun writing that way and I feel more connected to the readership. Would my work be better if I was more staid? Perhaps. I hope it never comes to that, though. People often say that I can’t write in that way, but it’s not true. I simply prefer the gonzo style.
Where is the site headed? Well, I want to do a redesign. I love the Drudge-feel that we have around here, but I think we’ve come about as far as we can with this setup. I have to consult with the webmaster and all that, because my forte is in producing content, not doing site design, etc. Still, I want to have something in place within the next couple of months. One way or the other, a new layout will be in place this fall.
There’s two other things I’m working on. One, is my YouTube channels. Since I got the strike a couple weeks back, I’ve had to adjust my strategy, but not that much. One channel will be for LIVE streams and Twitch uploads, while the other will be for rants and topical videos that are 15 minutes or less. When my strike expires, I’ll reevaluate, but this is the strategy for now.
The other project I have is the most ambitious thing I’ve ever worked on. I’m writing a book about my time in GamerGate, and the people and relationships that shaped my life along the way. I want to have it done by Halloween, but then again, it’s a book. I don’t want it to be rushed. It’s not going to be some 50 page effort. It will be a full book, 200-350 pages. I don’t intend to pull any punches on anyone, including myself. I want to tell you the real truth of my experience, because it means that much to me. The good and the bad both have shaped me in ways I could have scarcely imagined just one year ago.
I’ll have more about the book at the end of the week. We’ll do an official preview and all that jazz. In conclusion, though, I would just like to thank all of you. I’ve been through so many ups and downs the last 12 months. There have been posting droughts here and there. Throughout it all, you dedicated readers have never left me. You picked me up off the mat when I was at my lowest point, and for that I will always be grateful. As we continue the month of August, I will look back at some of our triumphs, and hopefully bring you a couple special surprises. But regardless, I appreciate the journey you have made with me thus far. It means the world to me, and it will never be forgotten.
