Welcome to the U of M Press author blog

When you’re writing an academic paper, a blank page can be intimidating. When you’re doing something creative for the Internet, it can be doubly so. On paper you expect words to appear — some black characters on a white background that may or may not have profound meaning. Perhaps there’s a map or other illustration, or even a nice colour photograph to fill the space. You can get through that; you can finish that piece, hit submit and congratulate yourself for a job well done. The whitespace, the anarchy, has once again receded into the background. Much later comes the response of your peers…

On the Internet, though, it may not be so easy. No, you think that your prose must be pithy and witty, adhere to the traditions of the medium, but, at the same time, annihilate the established and burst forth with something new. There can be text of all colours and shapes; there can be pictures of cute cats and dancing badgers, or deceptive links to ancient pop videos and cryptic quotes from obscure films. There can be animated — and even interactive — maps. There are expectations to be met, so how can we settle for a bit of boring old text? Response is immediate, if indeed anyone actually views your work, and it can be savage. Oh, the pressure!

But what if the Internet is really an invitation? Far from being the venue for a disagreeable chore, it is a solicitation to share your thoughts on something new (or something old), a fresh topic or an issue that has nagged you for decades. What if it is a world of infinite possibilities, a world where anyone can speak and try to be heard above the din? What if you can share half-formed arguments, or solicit commentary on a germ of an idea? What if you can shake your fist at injustice, or appeal to the better nature of human kind? What if you can reach out directly to the reader, and they can reach back to you in conversation? Does that make it different? Does that make it easier?

Perhaps…