It is the day beore for my “100 Days, 100K” experiment begins and the official launch of this blog. I can’t deny that I am a little nervous: Will I be able to make the goal? Will the writing be any good? And, most of all, will anyone read it?

There won’t be a lot of this sort of self reflection/personal details. Not only is that not what this blog is about, but also, if I do it right, the fiction and occasional essay that appear here should speak for me — my beliefs, my fears and my philosophies. Story is important and it is through story, whether a sprawling literary novel or a chat over coffee about your day, we unpack our lives and our belief systems.

As I go through this process of writing “for real” after so many years of doing it in disorganized spurts and in a haphazard, half-assed way, I want to share it. I want comments and criticism and, mostly, company. While I will eventually get to a place where I will try and sell what I write in one form or anther, what I really need is people reading and interacting. So the best thing you can do for me is sharing this blog with people who you think might be interested. The more people that read my stories, the more likely that I will learn the skills and techniques I need to become a “real writer” and, eventually, be able to make a career of it. I appreciate your help and support in this.

Tomorrow is day 1 and my first goal is a story for NPR’s “Three Minute Fiction” contest. Remember, I may not write 1,000 words a day for each of the 100 days and it may be a few days between updates (I want to post complete stories and lengths will vary). Stay tuned and stay with me. It should be a fun ride!