It’s been said to me in the past that I’ve had a gift for the written word, and certainly I enjoy writing.  I’ll freely admit that part of that is a narcissistic desire to simply hear myself “talk,” but nor do I take dramatic efforts to lure in an audience.  If you want to hear what I have to say, you know what corner I’ll be standing on; come on down.

In college I decided that becoming a writer would be a decent “backup career.”  After all, you don’t necessarily need a degree in the form, simply a way with words and some knowhow.  Back in the day, I used to look at my video game magazines or mega-sites like IGN or GameSpot and say, “I could do that.”  To that end, I took a magazine writing course to dip my toes in the water and get at least some form of training.  In fact, during a very short period in high school, I used to write for teen site Kiwibox.com.

The journalistic environment has changed dramatically in just these past few years.  Though not strictly “news” sites, blogs and their writers have gained massive presence and have earned the respect of the industry.  No longer are they fan pages regurgitating news from other sources; they can now stand toe to toe interviewing their subjects and reveal scoops of their own.  (more…)