Tinkering Around the Margins...

This blog has, admittedly, always been somewhat categorically and thematically challenged. What few readers it’s managed to attract thus far often suffer literary whiplash as I careen from one wholly unrelated topic to another. That’s what happens when you write for pleasure rather than pay. You just shamble along to whatever tune strikes your fancy.

I have, however, generally stuck with things like hunting, fishing, writing, gundogs, books, literature, wild places, travel and such because that’s generally who and what I am. So in that regard the blog will pretty much stay the winding, serpentine course it’s held since inception. I don’t see myself taking up golf or sports bars or whatever the hell it is that normal guys concern themselves with. But I do plan on adding a few more topics to explore: chronicles, basically, of a few pursuits I’m going to take up this year.

One, you’ll probably see a little more (maybe a lot more) of the focused literary essay-type stuff, more items written with a certain voice and with an eye toward a certain structure and style. I am, after all, a writer, and I didn’t become a writer to link to YouTube videos, bitch about the news or Tweet about what I’m doing for lunch. That’s not to say, however, I’m going all high-concept. Much of what I write will remain conversational in nature, exactly the same as what I’ve been doing. I’m just adding the occasional bit of maudlin pretentiousness, that’s all.

Second, I’m going to be chronicling my attempt to spend a year seriously flyfishing. I know I’ve previously panned much flyfishing literature, but I’ve always been intrigued with the act itself. Problem is, I’ve always been a casual fly angler at best and a not-terribly-good casual fly angler at that. I flyfish (or at least my interpretation of flyfishing) when I go to Montana, I use a three-weight outfit to throw hoppers to the little bass and channel cats in our local river, and that’s about it. But this is the year I put down my baitcasters and really have a go at it. If nothing else it should be amusing.

Third, I’m going to be writing a bit about introducing my oldest son to hunting. He’s nine now, and this upcoming season will be his first to really start hunting with me. It should be…interesting.

Fourth, more dogs. Can’t have too much dogs, or too many. I’m considering using the blog as a sort of training journal for the mutts. We’ve got a lot to work on and fix this spring and summer and maybe tracking my progress through the blog will keep me motivated. I might even steal my wife’s little pocket-cam to add some video.

Other than that, I’ll just continue doing what I’m doing and writing about whatever catches my eye, because who wants to read a tightly-focused single-subject blog, right? (cue crickets chirping…)