Two years ago, I was officially registering a blogger account and created Dead End Follies. It wasn't the original name, but the one I had chosen back then * didn't really represented what I wanted my blog to mean to people. I wanted it to be "that cool place" you found while browsing, during a boring day at work. The project was born out of two things. First, I needed some kind of online portfolio. About ten days before, I had a "recruitment reunion" at Ubisoft Montreal and I wanted a convenient way to read my stories. Also, in those days I used to work with Davd, from Atheist Media Blog, who knows a thing or two about running a successful site and generously answered all my questions and offered some advice on a regular basis.
Now the Ubisoft thing was a complete bust. What I was lead to believe to be a job interview was...well a "recruitment reunion" which I think was made to see if I was potentially interesting. They told me they were interested and then shut me out. I was left with another blog without much purpose ** and my dreams of writing. So I wrote. About me, about what I found fascinating about the internet and pop culture in general. I also wrote three weekly stories. Very green and shapeless stuff I posted right after I finished writing it. You can find them sometimes in the LinkWithin gadget, or through the search function. Two of those stories reached twenty five episodes. Talk about stretching shit thin. They were bad stories, but they helped me shape my style and find out what I want to write about.
I kept reading, trying to find new ways to improve the blog, so I stopped self-publishing my own stories for free and instead, I started reviewing books and movie and work on writing projects beside the blogging. That's really where Dead End Follies started taking off and finding a public. Soon, I started chit-chatting with people like Brenna, Alley and Greg Z. , who turned out to be my first blogging-friends, if I can use the expression. The second big expansion the site has known is when I decided to somewhat narrow down my reading selection to Literary and Crime fiction. I hosted a series of guest post called "Ten Rules To Write Noir", written by experienced crime writers. While I'm happy with the selection of writers who participated (who all write awesome stories), I have approached some of the bigger names in the business for the project. Megan Abbott, Scott Phillips and Lawrence Block all gracefully turned down my offer, due to current obligations and my attempt to approach Dennis Lehane was a complete failure.
Needless to say, I have grown to be thoroughly attached to this blog. It became somewhat to be my intellectual headquarters. One of the questions I get the most, from my readers and other bloggers is "How the fuck do you post so often?" Well, there's a lot of things going down under the lid for sure, but it's also a question of habit. One of the things I wanted to do, by writing those weekly episodes was to create a need for myself to write. And well. Mission fucking accomplished. Blogging starts my day well and clears my mind for whatever I want to do afterwards. If I have blogged, I have talked about what's going on in my mind and I did it more efficiently than if I have spoken.
So what's doing to happen in year three? Many things. You will hear the name of Dead End Follies a lot more. First of all. Let me announce to you that the Hemingwettes are officially being renamed the Dead End Follies Awards and that they will be held in the first week of December. Throughout the month of November, I will post the nominees in the different categories. Also, I'm going to create a Dead End Follies Seal Of Approval a bit like Oprah's big gold O. You will find it at the end of my reviews, as a widget on author's web site and probably even on hard copies of some books. I also want to announce that I'm going to hold a reading challenge in 2012. SMOOTH CRIMINALS will consist of ten readings and reviews, exploring the darkest and shadiest aspect of literature. It won't be only crime fiction and it's open to all.
Happy birthday Dead End Follies, thank you for everyone of you, readers who find something they like here. I am honored by your presence, your reading and your comments of my posts. By your Twitter friendships and your book suggestions. Thank you a thousand times! And ONWARD TO YEAR THREE!
* Rude & Obnoxious
** I made many thwarted attempts at blogging in the past.