Drawing lines in sand or stone.

How much is too much?

Sometimes, I wonder why I blog? What is the purpose of this blog? I have said in my profile that this is a place for me to hone my writing skills. And I made a post back in January stating that I’m basically writing about any and every topic visiting my mind. This is my opportunity to experiment with my writing style as I make improvements or pound out the bad habits while having fun about it.

The fun has taken an unexpected turn.

Recently, I became involved in my very first tag - thanks, Sandra - and I got a chance to think about my life. My wishes if I came across a lot of money and my likes in snacks. I even made my first to-do list of the day, which I did not follow through with. I also thought about what happened ten years ago.

I suppose we all have dark closets inside us. But I never thought of mine as able to close off completely. Instead of a locked door holding back faded memories, it is more like a curtain. From time to time, a breeze will pass through tugging at the fabric, making a wisp of the past stretch out a shadowy finger to tap on my shoulder. They want me to turn around and make a revisit. I try to walk away, but the breeze is too strong and the curiosity is too great. I take a quick peek behind my shoulder.

I do not like what I see.

But, no one ever does. This is a dark closet. Its one purpose is to hold those memories that might be embarrassing, or awful, or downright illegal. It is here where we lock them up and move on with our lives.

The way I move on is to write stories about them.

This means I have stories about what happened to me ten years ago. No, they are not about the time when I was watching over my baby niece. They are about the other topic I mentioned in the question. The first part.

So, what is the problem?

How much is too much? Where do I draw the line on what topics to post? How far do I push myself and my prospective readers? How deep am I willing to go and who is willing to come along for the ride?

I guess this is a question every writer (or just a regular blogger) has to pose to himself/herself. Do we go over the top to maintain the integrity of the story, or do we hold back and be conservative? Do we keep in mind our readers’ tastes, or just push the limits realizing we might lose a few people?

Should I post the stories?

I haven’t decided yet, and I have chewed a few fingernails to the stubs wondering about it. They are not BAD stories, like the ones you might see on a crime show, and they can even be a little educational to people.

But do I really want to pull back the curtain? Do I want to stand at the front of the opening, wearing a red and white striped outfit, as I wave my bamboo cane while selling tickets for the show?

How far am I willing to go for my writing?

Quite far, actually. I guess this is why I love writing suspense/thriller. Yes, you heard right. Suspense and Thriller - the dark places in the mind or the horrible actions a person might make that sends shivers down the spine. I love reading about it, watching movies about it, and writing about it.

You couldn’t tell by my posts, could you? The humor is apparent. I don’t think I have posted a story without some funny in it, even the short piece about the serial headless chicken reaper back in March. Yes, you can go and read it. It is hilarious, if I do say so myself.

I guess what I am getting at with this post is whether or not I maintain the funny. Or do I continue to experiment and push out the edges of the box into unknown territory, even if this means I start to scare myself by revisiting old topics. Will I throw open the closet, or will I grab the nail gun and tack down those loose edges of the curtain to stop any more wayward breezes from passing through?

And will you come along for the ride? I will even shell out the popcorn for the show.