Enter.

I always found it curious, in playscripts, that the words 'Exeunt' and (by inference, as it appears the same in both languages) 'Exit' were written in Latin, but 'Enter' -- for both solitary characters and characters in groups -- was written in English. Thus, there is no way for me to maintain minimum standards of comprehensibility and at the same time reveal immediately that the title of this post is not an abrupt order to my readers, but a simple statement of fact referring to me.

Enter Paul, then. Hello. My name is Paul. Personal information can come later; right now, I'll begin at the beginning. Tristram Shandy began with his conception. I'll begin, too, with a conception of mine, and that is the conception of this blog. I have been continually trying to get myself to write more. The way I write (from start to finish, with very few rereads and edits) makes this easy in theory, but in practice, I lack motivation. I start stories and give them up a quarter of the way through. So one of my friends (who prefers to remain anonymous) and I decided to set up blogs. Hopefully the fragmentary nature of the genre will be more suited to the way I think.

Fragmentary, really, is the nature of my work and worldview. Although I believe it is possible to understand a person through his or her words or actions, I also believe that it takes a practically infinite amount of time to do so. Excepting the few immortals among us, we go on with fragments of other people. I need to reveal these fragments. Often I feel as if I simply have to speak, to bring another part of myself to the forefront. I've thought up different ways to spit these soul-gobbets out into the world. Self-interviews and semi-autobiographical fiction were two ways. Sometimes I wish I was being videotaped continually. (I was overjoyed when the PATRIOT Act passed.) But even this is never able to give the full story. Nor will this blog. But it will give me, if nothing else, a little peace of mind. Hence the bad-pun-title.

Even already, you've probably picked up some things about me. I'm interested in drama. I don't know much Latin. I've read or heard about Tristram Shandy. I'm probably liberal. I'm also probably either an emo or a Kabbalist. I'm definitely very self-absorbed. This page is, after all, not created for your benefit. It is created for something much more important than your benefit: my benefit. However, my permission is still given to enjoy.

Enjoying is now made mandatory.

Enjoy.