AJ Dyrbye

Web Developer and Digital Humanist

Tag: writing

November, NaNoWriMo, and something a bit different

The last two years, I’ve participated in NaNoWriMo. For the uninitiated, NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, is an annual challenge to write 50,000 words of fiction over the month of November.

I managed to finish it both years, albeit on the last day and working against a string of days mid-month with zero word counts (annual trips to visit friends out of town, not lack of motivation, I swear). Both times, it was a fantastic experience. I’m proud of it, even if the writing itself is of wildly variable quality. Continue reading

Pardon My Dust

Today marks the official re-opening of this blog. 

When I began this WordPress site, it was bare-bones, no more than a place to hold textual thoughts as I explored programming concepts from a newly post-Masters perspective. I didn’t bother with anything but the most basic setup on the logic that I would be best off focusing exclusively on the words while I built up my writerly momentum. 

Even with this low level of commitment, life got into the way.

It happens. Blogs are started and abandoned with regularity; it takes a particular kind of person to keep one going for the long haul.

So, why revive it now?

It’s a straightforward tale. This site fulfils a more urgent need than it once did, and I now have more time to devote to it. Mercenary reasons are as good as any.

In short, I recently finished up work on a major web development contract. It was time to update my web portfolio to reflect it, and I soon discovered that my post-Masters self no longer has login rights to make the changes.

Moving on from my University-hosted homepage is, at the end of the day, a good thing. It’s long past time I investigated other options. I’m proud of the work I did there, but I’m glad I’ve had the kick I needed to expand beyond it.

I’ve spent the last few weeks revamping this site to act as a new portfolio. I’ve lived and breathed WordPress the last six months, and it made good sense to come back here. In the process, I realized that once again, I had things to say. Where I’ve been, where I’m going, what I’ve learned of late. 

And so, here I am. 

At this precise moment, I write to silence. I have a lot of work yet to do, a publication schedule to establish. A shiny new page structure and a banner image are merely a good start.

We’ll see where it goes from here.

© 2014 - 2021 AJ Dyrbye

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