What This Blog Is/What This Blog Isn’t

Before you dive into the following blog post about why I wrote a novel called The Boy Who Couldn’t Fly Straight, I thought I should give you a heads-up about what this blog is and what it isn’t.

I’ll start with what it isn’t:

1. It is not a diatribe on all things wrong with current Western society.  You can read that elsewhere, and I wouldn’t be a good writer on the subject.  I’m too optimistic.
2. It is not a series of essays on all things right with current Western society.  You can get that in the feel-good section of your newspaper; besides, I wouldn’t be a good writer on the subject.  I suck at doing research, so my scholarship would have too many holes in it and people would seek to publicly shame me.
3. It is not a rant about all things right and/or wrong with Eastern society.  I spend a large portion of my waking moments, and even some sleeping time, thinking about and working with Eastern culture.  But this blog, and the novel it tracks, is told primarily from a Western point of view (even though Charlie, the main character in the novel, does study Mandarin in high school.  很有意思，是不是?)
4. It is not a tech blog.  Thank God other people out there write about technology, my boyfriend being one of them.  I would be as suited to write about our modern tech world as I would about fabric stores or how to solve the Middle East Crisis-see, I don’t even know if I’m supposed to call it the “Middle East Crisis.”  And if you read #2 above, you’ll know that I won’t be doing any research to discover better nomenclature.

Here’s what it is:

1. It is an answer to the question, “Why did you write another book about a young male witch?  I mean, isn’t Harry Potter enough?”
2. It is an answer to the question, “Why do we need another young gay character?  I mean, isn’t Curt on Glee enough?”
3. It is a chronicle of my own personal timeline writing a novel about a young gay male witch.  Call it egotism, or shallowness, or maybe call it a good idea.  I’ve found over the years that I have really enjoyed reading the backstory of my favorite authors, learning all of the hows and the whys of their subjects, as well as their ups and downs vis-à-vis the writing process.  Call it hubris, but I hope I can become one of your favorite authors.
4. It isa setting for me to:
   1. Talk about what it was like to write a book from start to finish.
   2. Include excerpts from The Boy Who Couldn’t Fly Straight
   3. Include other topics that I feel are relevant, including teen gay issues, writing and art, and maybe some killer jokes and fun stories.

Sit back, buckle up (or hitch up your favorite broomstick) and enjoy this blog.  And while it almost goes without saying, I’ll say it anyway: your comments are most definitely welcome!

Jeff