When people ask me what I do for a living, I tell them I’m a freelance writer. I tell them that most of what I write has to do with technology, the Internet and the so-called digital lifestyle, but I’ve also covered a range of other subject areas. When people ask me what Beyond the Rhetoric is all about, the response isn’t quite as clear and concise. And this is after running this blog for nearly a decade. As a blogger, who am I?
The origins of Beyond the Rhetoric trace back to an email newsletter I started back in high school some 16 years ago. The newsletter had a humble subscriber base consisting mostly of family and friends. The pieces were about whatever came to mind and this eventually evolved into a website on Geocities. When I decided that I wanted to take blogging a little more seriously with my own domain and hosting, Beyond the Rhetoric was born.
Part of the challenge arises because this blog was founded without a clear vision in mind. It was simply going to be a repository for my thoughts, for posts and ponderings that didn’t fit in with my client work. Beyond the Rhetoric is partly a personal blog, in this way, but it’s also a professional blog that aims to provide some value to readers. As I cover several different topics here, it’s far more difficult to pin me down to just one cubby hole or another.
The food blogger is the person who goes around reviewing sushi restaurants. The grammar blogger is the person who explains why you should use certain words in certain situations. The travel blogger explores the many wonders and experiences that the world has to offer. The daddy blogger may fight traditional gender roles for his daughter. The motivational blogger might share inspirational words of wisdom.
But I’m all of these things. And more. Or at least I want to think so.
I don’t like being told that I can only be one thing. Or do one thing. And it is perhaps with this somewhat unconventional spirit that I found my way into the unconventional career path of a freelance writer in the first place. Perhaps it is because I don’t like sticking with just one topic that I’ve become a multi-faceted blogger. I want to be a part of the “food blogger” community just as much as I want to be a part of the “dad blogger” community. I feel like I have something to contribute to everyone.
My identity as a blogger is just as complex (and just as confusing) as my identity as a freelance writer. If this journey is about self-discovery and figuring out exactly who I am, then it appears that I may have more than one destination in mind. And you know what? That’s okay.
Let’s go exploring.
I split my blog into two just recently because I felt I was rambling outside of education, technology and what I do as a Systems Administrator.
I think you do it well here as a group topic blog because it’s your thoughts and really more a blog about life with Michael Kwan.