A Brief Outline of Who I Am

If you’re reading this post, you probably know me. But here’s a brief outline of who I am for those perverts who enjoy reading a random stranger’s blog.

I am a thirty-one-year-old man who lives near Boston, Massachusetts. I am a substitute teacher by day and an aspiring writer by night. Emphasis on “aspiring.” Sadly, despite a decade of effort, success continues to elude me. This isn’t meant to imply I’m a complete failure. My career has a few highlights, including:

• In 2017, I wrote and directed a short film, “Virgins Never Die.”
• In 2020, two of my short stories appeared in online magazines.
• In 2021, I started a “Short Story of the Month” Patreon, which lasted for a year. It’s currently on hiatus.

The list above is the sum and substance of my “professional” work, the only pieces I’ve created that brought in money. In 2022, my creative output stopped because I developed chronic writer’s block. I spent two years attempting to overcome this and another year resigned to fate. But recently, something has stirred in the mental region where creative impulses originate. I think the time has come to resume my work.

Why I’ve Decided to Start a Blog

I’ve decided to start a blog for three reasons:

1. A blog will help me get back into my creative rhythm. Back in college, I could finish an entire draft of a screenplay or complete an academic essay in one weekend. I wouldn’t sleep but write non-stop, only taking breaks to eat or relieve myself when necessary. I don’t expect myself to live up to those standards; they were unhealthy then and would only be more so now. But I know I can write for at least a few hours every day, and that’ll be enough to ensure a steady output of stories and essays. 
2. I want an alternative to social media, which I’m decidedly burned out on. Twitter and Facebook are oceans of slop that drown users in endless content. I want something different, akin to the personal pages of Web 1.0; that’s where The Rattling Skeleton comes in. 
3. I’m creating a blog because running one looks fun. Blogging helps connect the author and the reader more than traditional writing. It offers a more intimate platform than most online spaces, like social media or YouTube. 

What I’m Going to be Writing About

I decided to create this blog almost a year ago. However, I didn’t want to launch it until I knew what to use it for. At first, I planned to focus on a single subject. Yet none of the topics I considered passed muster, so I rejected the idea altogether. Instead, this site is my archive of everything I write that isn’t published elsewhere.

Posts here will broadly fall into three genres: “misfits,” “elaborations,” and “rambles.”

• Misfits: These are stories I’ve finished without intending to publish. They’re products of impulses to pursue creatively fulfilling but financially empty paths. Every writer has a collection of misfits they hide in computer hard drives or desk folders. However, I see no reason to deprive my stories of an audience, even if that audience is a bunch of freeloaders.
• Elaborations: These essays expand upon points I’ve made on other websites. The strict limits of social media often turn complete thoughts into witty bon mots. But here, I can present my thoughts in their unabridged glory.
• Rambles: Consider this a catch-all for everything else I post here. Most of these will be spontaneous ideas I hastily sketch out for a quick post. Over time, some might become a series, while others never grow beyond that first post. 

Why People Should Read It

Perhaps you’re asking yourself, “Why should I read this blog?” I don’t have an answer to this question. Who knows what desires lurk within the hearts of men? That secret is known only by you, and whatever God(s) you worship. Still, you’ve read this introduction: a long, boring post justifying this site. You might as well stick around and see what else is here.

I plan to upload my career highlights shortly after launching this website. First is my 2017 short film, “Virgins Never Die.” Following this are my published stories, “The Townies” and “How Magic Came to the Cunning Folk.” If I’m feeling frisky, these will come with a brief introduction and maybe even some annotations. After that, I have no solid plans. We’ll see where the winds of fate take me. 

I invite you to leave a comment below introducing yourself. I’ve never had the most active social life, and my circle of friends has dwindled. To be blunt, I want to make new friends, and poaching a few of my readers for this purpose seems like a great way to start. So let me know who you are and why you’re here. Whether you’re an old acquaintance or a stranger doesn’t matter.