I started 2013 with some lofty goals for myself. I wanted to record my podcast more frequently, I wanted to start my own YouTube series, and I wanted to update the blog more frequently. I also wanted to try and work on a comic on the side.

Things didn’t quite work out as I imagined, but I can’t say they haven’t worked out how I wanted, either. Or at least, in a manner that I am quite content with. Sadly RamblePak 64 has been on a bit of a break, but I’ll be getting to it soon. I imagine the Resident Evil 6 project is not only a hurdle for me at this point, but for any viewers as well.

Yet I’ve managed to keep The RambleCast, the relaunch of my podcast, updating at a decently regular pace. At the very least we manage one new episode a month, intending to record and update every other week. I’ve been very happy with the outcome so far, and am trying to figure out how to spread awareness now.

Perhaps the biggest change for me, however, was being invited to write for GamersWithJobs. This single event has forced me to confront my all too small self-esteem and accept the fact that I’m not a mere hack. That I do have a degree of insight and talent and that people enjoy reading what I produce. It has been a major boon to my ego, but not in a bad way.

I have finally chosen to view myself as a writer, rather than as an amateur. To be perfectly honest, I don’t take too much stock in the word “professional” these days anyway. I’ve worked in enough cubicle farms to have learned the only thing that separates amateurs from professionals is a paycheck and maybe some degree of experience.

As I’ve chosen to be a writer rather than trying to be one, I’ve found my work ethic towards writing has changed. I have several potential posts for the blog that have gone nowhere, as I’ve never been satisfied with the end product. The only time I think to post on the blog is when I have a review that I find to be of proper quality. I’m still trying to use GamerTagged as a sort of writing portfolio.

Seeing as I’ve got GamersWithJobs for that, I’m going to try a different tactic. I’m going to treat my blog as, well, a blog. Instead of coming up with updates and articles worthy of a front page, I’ll just type out thoughts as they occur to me. I’ll try and keep them oriented towards video games, especially as they’ve consumed more of my time this year than in recent history, but I would love to also dabble in discussing film, board games, or other such matters as they occur to me. While I want to use the blog to practice, adjust, and figure out what I want game reviews to look like, I also want to be able to just write my thoughts out about certain game or narrative mechanics that come to me.

Put simply, I want to actually blog on my blog.

It may sound silly, but for the past several months I’ve always sat down and thought to myself “What is the purpose of this post? What is the intent? Is it entertaining?” Next thing I know I have a two week or two month old document that went nowhere because I didn’t think it was up to professional quality.

The result is I end up falling out of practice with writing. I find myself discouraged to write as much as I would like to, and thus I don’t get to work on it as often as I should. I ought to be writing at least once a day, though more realistically it would be once every other day.

So while I’ve often made large declarations of my plans for the new year, instead I have one simply goal. Keep doing what I’m doing, but make a more bloggy blog. To discuss elements of games while I play them instead of waiting until I’ve finished. To have brief observations towards films or books I’m reading, even if I have no expertise on the matter.

If I can manage, I’ll also be redesigning my website to look more like your average blog as well. I would like to get back to practicing some of my web design and development skills (that is what pays the bills at the moment, after all), and I feel the site should visually match my new intent.

Maybe then I’ll finally switch to Google Ads and get rid of Project Wonderful.