This is totally going in my blog!

Hello, there! Greetings. Hola. Bienvenido. (Can you tell I’m nervous?)

Seriously, welcome to the pilot episode, so to speak, of Puns N' Roses, the blog I threatened to start four years ago (see Instagram for proof—and yes, I do currently feel like Barney Stinson in 2005). To all my new readers, I’m honestly so stoked that you’re here. I can’t wait to chat with you, get to know all of you, and build a really cool community to nerd out on writing and stories and just, like, all the cool things. Instead of panic googling how to make intro blog posts not suck (too late), I'm diving straight into what this blog is, how to get around, and who it's for—but first off, let’s start with why.

A blog and a book

Why'd I start a blog? Because I wrote a book. And after years and years and years (nineteen, in case you're wondering), I’m finally ready to publish it. I know. I know. My book is a whole adult, old enough to vote and everything. Even scarier? I’m going indie—and what better way to practice self-publishing a book than by self-publishing my own articles. Baby steps, y’know? In name, Puns N' Roses incorporates everything about me: roses (my name), nod to a cool band (music), dad-joke-level pun (writing). We won’t dig into my book’s whole history here (backstory post on its way), but I do have something pretty big to announce right here, right now: the title.

[INSERT DRAMATIC DRUM ROLL]

... Troubled. That’s my book. My baby. My debut novel. Curious to know more? I made this page to keep you in the loop on the current status of Troubled (omg, I can’t believe you actually know the name of my book!), and this one, which documents my publishing journey. These pages are where I'll eventually release all the juicy deets—the blurb, cover design, PRE-ORDER LINKS—when they’re ready to be announced, of course.

No. More. Gatekeepers

Okey—back to Puns N' Roses. (Or PNR, for short.) You wanna know the beauty of having your own platform, something I just realized while writing this? Zero. Gatekeepers. Same goes for self-publishing a book. No more pitching, persuading, begging someone to consider just a snippet of your work, hoping it works for their platform. Instead of squeezing into someone else’s box, I’m creating my own, and it’s terrifying, but the good kind of terrifying—like flying for the first time. So, at the risk of sounding super cringe, here I am, writing in my blog and totally not giving a damn. And if you’re also a writer—or a maker of any type of art, for that matter—standing at the edge of that publishing cliff and waiting for the perfect moment to throw something you’ve made at the world … THIS IS YOUR SIGN. THERE WILL NEVER BE A PERFECT TIME. DO IT!

And the next category is ...

Now that we’ve covered the why, let’s unpack the what. PNR is obviously a personal blog, but it lives on my larger website instead of at its own domain. I’ve divided it into six categories:

• Write here, write now (the nitty gritties of writing and editing: I’m a trained editor and I’ve been writing stories since I was twelve, so I’ve learned some tings—no, that's not a spelling error)

• Brainstorming! (all things psychology, which is an essential tool for writing good stories)

• Story Stuff (in-depth interpretations of characters, themes, aspects of story I haven’t seen anyone talking about)

• Critics Anonymous (reviews of all the books, movies, series, music—art I love in various mediums)

• A Social Lens (NEW: an invitation to take a good, hard look at society and culture)

• Behind the pages … (a backstage pass to my own stories, characters, methods, indie publishing—my writing experience, basically)

• Jaimie’s Journal (my little misc. folder for all the weird introspections and niche articles—like this one)

I'm a bit of a dabbler, so please don't be thrown if I experiment with different tones, styles, and vibes for each post. For example, I've had this analysis of telepathy in fiction sitting in my back pocket for a minute now, almost a mini academic thesis. I'm also reposting an old review of one of my favorite albums after the site where it was originally published shut down, and that's more of a poetic-y, you've-gotta-check-this-out vibe. I always prefer to approach my articles with a unique angle instead of regurgitating something that already exists in my own words (not that there's anything wrong with that, I suppose), and I put a lot of thought into the things I write. My goal is to post at least once a month, but I work full-time alongside writing and studying, so if I do miss a month during busy periods, I'll try to make it up with two the following month (hmm, maybe a piece on time management when you've got a million things on your plate?).

Either way, assume I'm working on new content and/or book updates like that typing cat gif.

For creators, by a creator

And finally, who is this blog’s intended audience? YOU—duh! Readers, other writers and bloggers, people who like stories and learning things and sharing their weird interests, all are welcome. If even one single person on earth appreciates one of these articles, then I’m happy. PNR isn't just me telling you what I think about things—I wanna know what you think. No gatekeeping here. I wanna connect, share thoughts, be totally open—SILLY, even. (I love making people laugh, so if you've had a chuckle so far, then yay.) I hope this blog can be a spark for you, and maybe you can pay it forward by putting yourself out there, too, and maybe be a spark for others.

If you’ve been waiting for the perfect moment to throw your work at the world … THIS IS YOUR SIGN. DO IT!

Love, Jaimie

Once again, to all the weirdos, creatives, lovers of story, and everyone in between, a big friggin’ welcome to Puns N’ Roses! Let’s have fun, be weird, and—above all—be kind. Now that you’ve listened to half my life story, what’s yours? Are you writing a book, too? Poetry? Maybe you just started yoga, or you dig comic books (same!), or you’re a gamer, or a painter/doodler, or you visit art galleries, or have a TATTOO addiction, or you bake CAKES. Go on. Channel Barney Stinson, and ask yourself: what sets YOUR heart on fire?

Okay, bye. Check in soon 🌹

P.S. A friend of mine read this and got inspired to start selling wigs online to fund painting supplies for her art, so in my book, this post already did its job.

UPDATE: Go hyphens!

After almost a year of running PNR and this site, my freelance editing service is officially open for business. Yup. I know what you're gonna say. But Jaimie, your whole website name has a glaring punctuation error in it ... I already know: technically, Jaimie dash Rose should be Jaimie hyphen Rose (hence, a hyphenated name). The thing is, jaimiehyphenrose just doesn't have the same flair as jaimiedashrose. And it's a mouthful. (And Instagram has a username character limit.) This is where my little slogan, Go hyphens!, comes from: a little nod to my favorite punctuation mark that was my standalone Insta bio for years. As an editor—sure, it bugs me. But as a writer, this is that blurry line between absolute accuracy and creative license, and honestly ... is it that bad? Other than me (and maybe someone else with a hyphenated name), would anyone else really even notice?

Anyway, the point of this is: we're growing. I'm sure you are, too, and I'd love to hear about your journey. Pop me an email (omg she has an email now) at pnr@jaimiedashrose.com, leave a comment, or reach out on social media. Go hyphens!

Featured image credit: Jon Tyson via unsplash.com