Thoughts from a New Venue

Seems like everybody and their dog keeps a blog, these days. Come to think of it, this is probably the 9th or 10th blog I have started... and actually, most of them are still active. I suppose that's just part of the territory, when you're a writer.

Speaking of "territory," I moved recently. After many years in Texas, I now live in the small historical hamlet of Port Townsend, Washington-- in the "upper left corner" of the US. I started my eBay career trading under the name "peter-in-texas," but sometimes names just become obsolete.

In a sense it's ironic. The very same people who often complain about "information overload" often turn out to be major contributors to the information stream. A friend of mine-- who's a stay at home mom-- periodically complains that "there's just too much stuff on the Internet." But she's rarely amused when I point out that she writes a half-dozen blog entries everyday, about her life and world. "Oh, but that's different," she insists.

We all have our excuses and rationalizations. Show me a person who doesn't! I call myself "A Writer," but the writing I actually get paid the most for describes items here on eBay. The actual real-deal articles I write-- which on very rare occasions get published-- barely account for 20% of my income. But I still call myself "A Writer." It sounds good, and it contains basic elements of truth. Let's face it, a crackerjack description of a 1930's piece of Danish pottery can call for the writer's art.

There's a lot more to selling something than just showing a couple of fuzzy pictures and writing "Yeah, so I'm selling this pot (see photos), wanna buy it?" You have to write a description that inspires people to think "yeah, I want that!"

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.