I’ve been doing a decent amount of writing for PopLurker.com, a new site run by friend and awesome human, Loryn Stone (follow her on Twitter, she’s a total BAMF), and I can’t recommend it highly enough: the articles are funny and so well written on all manner of niche geek subjects thanks to her work and the collective of enthusiastic contributors she’s already attracted. If you’re a writer yourself: Loryn is 100% open to receiving pitches and you can contribute as well.
I’ve been doing a weekly column there of trailer reactions, as well as other occasional features, and I’ve been hugely honored to have been welcomed in and set up as a regular contributor. You might notice that I’ve been posting here more regularly too. I realized this yesterday in a chat with Loryn, but it’s an interesting symbiosis between PopLurker and my personal writing here, among other influences.
Loryn has a great eye for editing, and for helping writers develop their ideas in pitches and writing. Not only does she help each contributor really maximize the potential of their voices and their concepts, but she manages to make each piece part of a collective PopLurker™ whole. I have an article running on the site today that I did previously publish here, but have since taken down.
I realized in the intervening month that the article in question was a total PopLurker piece, not an Optional Irony™ piece. In writing for Loryn I started to carve out what piece fit her mold, and what’s uniquely my own for this site.
For PopLurker, I’m more outward facing, it’s about the media and general audience consuming it and my thoughts therein. I realized that Optional Irony is more inward facing. Sure, I’ve done stuff about different media I’ve enjoyed, (like my favorite film depictions of Los Angeles), or on museums (The Broad Jasper Johns exhibit here, or the NHMLA here), but Optional Irony is more about what I’m taking away from these things, how they’re helping me understand myself, and helping me advance my craft as a writer.
I’ve striven, especially over the past month, to make my blog all the more honest. There are plenty of good writers out there, but truly moving art and writing comes through honesty and bravery. I admire a strong, brave voice, and I aspire to that. I’ve been aiming for all my posts here (some more than others) to have more of me in them. My flaws and fears, as well as my hopes and goals.
I’m proud of a lot of the writing I’ve done here this past month. I’m going to continue contributing to PopLurker and I strongly recommend following the site (and if you’re feeling generous, donate to the Patreon).
As for Optional Irony, there’ll be more to come here as well. I’ll have my own movie, TV and Book reviews, LA Adventure pieces, and other stuff surrounding my novels and other projects, but that will be distinctly Balloo-facing.
This is all a small thank you to the people who have been visiting this site for the past couple months- I appreciate every like each post gets. This is also thanks to the people who have helped me distinguish this and find a comfortable lane for what I’m putting up here, and for the person who really helped me step my game up in that honesty department. Thanks everyone! As I’ve said plenty times before: We move forward.
optionalirony.com 