The Sprucing

(Don’t disturb the sediment)

I was going to title this “Clearing the Underbrush” but I am fairly confident that would attract some new, curious readers who would walk away rather disappointed. I also wanted to title it “Robert the Spruce” but that’s too weird, even for me.

Anyway.

A brief housekeeping note to share that in the spirit of continuous improvement (and not because we’re losing the plot), I’m restructuring the blog a bit.

To refine the space, posts will be decanted into three categories:

• Ink Spattering: Delving into the headspace and heartspace of the writing life, a little bit about works in progress, works completed, works beginning, works abandoned.
• The Folio: BOOKS! What I’m reading! What you’re reading! What we should be reading! Reviews! Possibly we start with this for my own good!
• Life and Other Existential Problems: This is the “mayhem” section. The “Everything Else.” The lens on the everyday. The “Have you ever noticed…” That weird little wrapped mystery bundle of stuff at the checkout of the Goodwill store. The “Beyond” part of “Bed, Bath, and Beyond.”

I don’t think you, dear readers, will notice too much of a difference. These categories remain true to the theme of Writing, Creativity, and Other Acts of Mayhem. This slight adjustment is part of my ongoing weird tea time of the writer’s chicken soup soul of the last months. I’m returning to where I was about 18–24 months ago, not only in form but in feeling — of exploration, of joy, of being a beginner who’s onto something exciting. This is part of a larger restructuring of my writing life.

The heart of my blogness was a part of that, and my 3–4 times/monthly blog posts were, in my mind, highly siloed. It’s easier for me to write with a little bit of a prompt, and this is a way to prompt myself, to streamline and polish this corner of the internet a little.

Truly, thank you for being here, for engaging, and for making this space what it is If you have any thoughts about these categories, posts you might like to see, or book suggestions, please share!

Let’s GOOOOOO!