So, here I am. Here we are.

As someone who’s always dreamt of writing, I figured that with my teenage years all too suddenly coming to an end, now was the time to start if I was to ever achieve something. A few half-hearted start-ups; a school newspaper article here and there; university papers exceeded only in their mediocrity by their dryness: I always knew this wasn’t enough, and yet I always found a reason not to commit. I didn’t have the time; I didn’t have anything to write about; now wasn’t a good time: in short, I was too fucking lazy. I guess today that changed. Maybe.

A little bit about me, then, as I suppose is necessary. I’m a nineteen-year-old student, currently studying for a BA in English and Related Literature at the University of York in the UK. At this point in time I am considering continuing onto a part-time MA in English Literary Studies, though to be honest that’s all a bit up in the air. In terms of literature, my interests lie in postcolonial fiction and the contemporary American novel, though I like to think I can bullshit about anything from Homer to Chaucer to Shakespeare to Dickens to Díaz and beyond.

Outside of academia my hobbies are various: I am a keen musician, though sadly I seem to never find the time to do anything more than practice at home these days; I spend concerning amounts of money in coffee shops where I sit and read and look like one of those pretentious knobs that every day I find myself turning into more and more; I play running back for the University American Football team, the York Centurions; and I invest what I’m told is “far too much of my time” (Mother, 2000-2015) in video games (current FOTM is the online MOBA League of Legends, if anyone cares). Home for me is Torquay in South Devon (also in the UK, though apparently my accent has lead people to believe I am from Turkey on more than one occasion), where I am blessed (not, I might add, by a deity, in my opinion) with a wonderful mother and father, to whom I owe more than I can write in a single post, a brat of a brother whom I love dearly (though don’t tell him I said that), and the world’s worst trained dog (which is probably my fault, if I’m honest). When at home I study for university, work ridiculously long hours at my local supermarket for a stupid amount of money considering how easy the job is, and socialise with the few friends I have managed to stay in contact with regularly after college. I am often sarcastic, occasionally funny, quick to anger but quicker to forgive: in short, I am just your average student, your honest, down-to-earth, relatively normal member of the human race.

For me, this blog is potentially many things: the first step on an illustrious career as the next David Mitchell (the writer you plebs, not the bloody comedian); an outlet through which I can channel my inner arsehole; the best procrastination tool next to Facebook (I should be writing a paper right now, instead I’m laughing at pugs getting belly rubs – go figure). But most of all, it’s something I’ve wanted to do properly for a long time. Hopefully this is that time. It might all turn out to be nothing. This could be one of three posts I write before I lose interest, or think it’s shit, or think I’m shit, and before you know it this site is sent to the blog graveyard, to bleed out and die next to all the other corpses of wasted potential, from the ashes of which one day a reanimation might occur, but which in all probability will be swept into a dark dusty corner of the Internet to be forgotten. But hey, we’re not there yet.

I think that about does it for now. I aim to be posting about every two or three days, and hopefully I’ll be able to keep the topics varied. There will probably be a fair amount about what I’m reading, either academically or for pleasure (not that the two are mutually exclusive), maybe comments on current events (translation: things that piss me off), maybe things that come flying into my head at 2am when the lights are off but somebody’s home. Most of all, I just want this to be real. I want to go to one of my caffeine-serving haunts and write something that people might not enjoy reading or agree with, but they’ll at least believe. It might be shit, but it’ll be honest-to-god, authentic, goddamn real shit. The best shit money can buy. Maybe people will read this, maybe no-one will. I guess this is more cathartic for me than anything else so I’m not sure if I’m fussed. But I’ll still post this on my social media (i.e. Facebook, never really got Twitter), and any/all comments are welcome. Positive or negative, constructive or destructive: whatever pops into your head.

After all, that’s all you’ll get from me, anyway.