Sunday, October 2, 2011

history of my relation to contemporary indie online literature

May-June 2007
My friend Jack Kerns recommends I read the tao lin's e-book at bear parade.  it is called today the sky...
I subsequently check out Tao Lin's blog, his other e-books, his first novel, and eventually his first story collection.  His first story collection, Bed, has remained my favorite work by him.

July-August 2007
I discover other online literature but I feel like "its all too much to take in"---this will be a recurring sensation throughout my relationship with online literature----and literature as a whole---and life as a whole.  My main discovery during this period was Noah Cicero's The Human War.  I am intrigued by his blog. He is political and philosophical, both to a really extreme manner.  Provocative.

September-October 2007
I begin a literary blog called The World Looks Better In Pink.  I don't really know what I'm doing.   I ask a bunch of friends to contribute.  Most oblige, although some just sign up and there names sit on the right hand column and they never post.  I post.  My friends Fernando, Niki, Dennis, Carla, and Nicole all post.  I ask Tao Lin to contribute by sending him an email via blogger.  I don't hear back so I annoy him on his blog and he gets e-angry and says to stop annoying him.  I ask Noah Cicero and he agrees to contribute.  He puts a few poems up at some point.

November-December 2007
I continue to discover writers, mainly through Tao Lin's blog and other mediums he uses.  The World Looks Better In Pink reaches its pinnacle, from which it begins a two and a half year decline.  I read 3:am magazine a lot.  I discover Tony O'Neil.  I discover Ellen Kennedy.  I discover Blake Butler.  I disocver Lamination Colony.

January 2008-April 2009
I take extended breaks from keeping up with the blogging and indie lit world.  I occasionally check up on Tao Lin's blog, Noah Cicero's blog, Bear Parade, and 3:am magazine, but usually after a few weeeks of nonstop blog addiction I forget about it for the most part.   I start a blog called Fucking Big Thoughts but I don't do anything with it really.  I become very pro-Obama, although I doubt that he will be able to fulfill all or most of his promises. I begin to have an interest in the blog HTML GIANT.

May-June 2009
I try to write an existentialist novel  on Fucking Big Thoughts (thats this blog).  I write a few chapters and give up because I realize it is kind of retarded.  I discover Ben Brooks, Shane Jones, Brandon Gorrell, Zachary German, Chelsea Martin, Jordan Castro, DJ Berdnt, Ana C., Andrew Weatherhead, David Fishkind.  I enjoy Chelsea Martin's book Everything Was Fine Until Whatever.  I come to the conclusion that Ben Brooks may be the only person who reads my blog.  Eventually I discover StatCounter.  I check it occasionally or obsessively, depending on my mood.

July-August 2009
I write a lot of short poems about boredom on The World Looks Better In Pink.   I write a bunch of stories and post them on one of the blogs.  I never consider submitting them elsewhere.  I discover Sarah San.

September-December 2009
College takes over my life.  I continue posting some stories sometimes. I discover Brittany Wallace and Steve Roggenbuck.

January 2010-May 2010
I begin posting a lot on both blogs.  The World takes off again and reaches its second, new peak. 

June-August 2010
End of the World, for all intents and purposes.  I discover Sam Pink and Lee Rourke.

September-October 2010
I begin an MFA program, despite years of reading shit talking about MFA programs on lit blogs.  I discover Stephen Tully Dierks and Crispin Best.

November 2010-March 2011
I decide to try to beef up my online image/profile, and begin submitting ideas and pieces to various sites, and I am accepted into some such as Thought Catalog, Metazen, For Every Year, and New Wave Vomit.  I am rejected from McSweeneys and others. I disocver more things and people.

April 2011-September 2011
I try to beef up my literary persona more, but realize I can't rush it or else I will just give up.  I also realize beefing up my literary persona and not giving up may be the rest of my young adulthood and possibly life. 

2 comments:

gamefaced said...

i think i may have killed twlbip by contributing.
sorry.

Anonymous said...

u didnt