A Bit About Me
This Just In: I answer interview questions that cover my views on writing and more.
Well, it turns out I broke my website more than I realized.
Last week’s piece was about the perils of running your own website. That evening, like an idiot, I deleted the database’s shell user. In other words, I deleted the entire database that held all of the site’s content. It was dead. Gone. Completely inaccessible.
This is why you have backups, friends. And also why you use hosting run by extremely helpful and very cool people (not an affiliate link, by the way). It took a few hours, but the backup was eventually restored, and the site came back online.
The irony of ironies is that last week’s newsletter about being an idiot and breaking my site resent in the middle of the night when the site came back online. The database backup was about 22 hours old, so it panicked, thinking it missed the scheduled send. Oh, and all of the links in the email were broken, including the big one for new Write Now subscriptions. Oops.
Anyway, thank you to the many kind folks who wrote to let me know that this time they did notice the site was down. It really is a labor of love to keep your own site running, but I still wouldn’t have it any other way.
Ok, on to this week’s issue.
A few weeks ago, I got a cold email asking to for an interview. Now, you should know that when I get these requests, I’m just as flattered as I am surprised.
Yes, I helped co-found The Writing Cooperative, which has helped guide and encourage countless writers. Yes, I have a large number of folks who follow me and subscribe to my newsletter. Yes, I even wrote a whole book about writing. But those of you who have been around for long enough know that while I am flattered that so many are interested, at the end of the day, I’m just some guy who wants to help others grow. I appreciate that so many do!
Anyway, the interview request came in during a particularly busy day. I was very tired and almost immediately declined, but thought of all the cold email interview requests I’ve sent to authors for the Write Now column over the years (which you can now subscribe to!). I asked for the interview’s purpose instead.
It turns out, İsmail Şevik is a Turkish writer who wants to support and encourage other writers and wanted to translate my answers about writing into Turkish for that audience. How could I say no to that?
If you’re already sick of this post being a lot about me, then I don’t blame you. Feel free to duck out until next week, but if you’re interested in peeking behind the curtain a bit, then keep reading. And if you’d rather read in Turkish, check out İsmail Şevik’s page.
Oh, and since I’m really digging into my blogging roots here, I self-nominated into Rachelskirts’s Q&A blogging challenge and merged the questions below. Enjoy!
Can you introduce yourself?
I’m Justin Cox. A guy from Orlando, FL, who likes exploring creativity. Oh, and Star Wars. I really like Star Wars.
How did your writing story begin?
This feels like my origin story. I share some of this in my book, but I started writing in earnest in college. I had a popular blog in certain circles that was fun to produce. I didn’t really know what I was doing, but I knew that I enjoyed writing, so I kept going.
Why did you start blogging in the first place?
I had things in my head that needed an outlet. Thoughts seemed to settle once I wrote them down. It was more fun to share them with friends and internet strangers to see what they thought. So, that’s what I did.
What platform are you using to manage your blog and why did you choose it?
I’m currently using a self-hosted Ghost installation that I recommend to everyone. It’s not for the faint of heart, but it’s the best content management system (CMS) I’ve ever used.
Have you blogged on other platforms before?
Oh boy. My first website was self-coded static HTML files. Then I moved into Movable Type and then into WordPress. There was a time I tried to make blogging on Tumblr a thing. Yeah, I know. Then came Medium. I’ve dabbled in many other platforms over the years.
How do you choose your topics?
I think my topics choose me. I started writing because I had thoughts in my head that I wanted to share, and that’s more or less how I still function. Ideas enter my brain, and then I sort of write them mentally over the course of a few days or so before I start typing.
How do you write your posts? For example, in a local editing tool, or in a panel/dashboard that’s part of your blog?
I write everything in iA Writer using Markdown. I adore the simplicity of text on the page. Plus, it directly sends drafts to both Ghost and Medium, so it makes my workflow about 1,000 times easier.
When do you feel most inspired to write?
Unfortunately, it’s usually in the 15 minutes between when I lay down in bed and fall asleep. That’s usually when I get the most inspiration or when the topics come looking for me. Some nights I manage to type an outline into my phone before falling asleep. For the others, I hope the idea comes back when I’m more cognizant.
Do you publish immediately after writing, or do you let it simmer a bit as a draft?
Oh god no. I always read through it two or three times before hitting publish on anything. In a perfect world, editing is on a different day than writing. But it all depends on timing.
How do you deal with the biggest challenges while blogging?
You mean like accidentally deleting my website? I just move through challenges. They’re speed bumps, not stop signs. Maybe it’s part of my personality to always look for solutions or maybe it’s because I don’t really know any better, but I just keep pushing through.
What is the biggest thing that blogging has brought you personally?
As I always say, the thing I enjoy the most is the connections I’ve made with writers around the world. Email replies and comments fuel me and give me a small glimpse into the fantastic humans out there. It’s why I always invite people to hit reply and say hello.
What’s your favorite post on your blog?
I have an entire tag for my favorite posts. But, a few that I specifically like to highlight are:
Both of these interweave themes of hope with Star Wars, which are prominent themes in my writing.
Any future plans for your blog? Maybe a redesign, a move to another platform, or adding a new feature?
After the last few weeks, I think I’ll take it a little slow. But there are always little tweaks and adjustments I want to make. We’ll see.
How do you relate social media, artificial intelligence and blogging? What will the future of blogging be like?
Well, we’re going there. I’ve been pretty vocal about rebelling against mass-market social media. I also think there is a place for boring AI tools that support our needs without taking away creativity and human expression. (They don’t really exist yet, though.)
As for the future, I don’t think blogging or social media will ever go away. There will always be an opportunity for people to express themselves and connect with folks. What I think is the biggest question is how we will do that in the future. I hope the written methods continue and aren’t limited to billionare-controled platforms.
What would you do differently if you started this job again?
Thankfully, online writing is not a job for me. I tried that once and hated it. Instead, writing is something I’m passionate about that provides an outlet for my creativity. The only thing I’d probably do differently is avoid deleting my database at 9:30 p.m.
What is your daily routine like? How do you spend your day?
I manage a team of very cool people supporting nonprofit companies nationwide. It’s a lot of fun.
What advice would you give to new bloggers or writers?
Just start writing. Don’t overthink all the things. There is plenty of time to do that. Hit publish and see what happens. Honestly, that’s the entire point of my book.
What are your thoughts on the future of the internet? Is it positive or negative?
See the above on the future of blogging. The internet is both the best and worst thing to ever happen to humanity. I think we’ll get through these unprecedented times and make a better world, and the internet will be part of the journey.
Can you recommend us movies, books, music, blogs, newsletters, etc.?
Check out my blogroll for some fantastic writers out there. As for books, I’m currently wrapping up a re-read of the Silo series before moving back into a re-read of After On. Since it’s about an AI supercomputer becoming sentient, it seems fitting for the time we’re living in.
What do you like to do outside of work?
Writing is what I do outside of work. When I’m not doing that, I’m probably at Disney World.
How do you define success?
Success in my writing is when someone responds to engage in conversation or share their take.
Tinker Hatfield said, “If people don’t love or hate your work, you just haven’t done all that much.” If we’re going to make something, it should inspire people to react. It’s so much more fun that way.
Can you tell us about an experience?
You mean other than accidentally deleting my website and sending an email with broken links twice? Um, ok. I once ate sushi with Japanese movie stars.
Is there anything you would like to add?
No. I think we’ve covered it all.