Now this

Hello, cyberspace. I feel a bit like Meg Ryan in "You've Got Mail," sending her plaintive woes out into the void. But unlike Meg Ryan, I am comfortable talking to, nay, conversing with said void, and in fact do it on a regular basis: at my style blog, Ip & Audrey, and at eco-fashion site Green Cotton.

There, I urge the void to recycle and tell it where to buy vegan shoes. I review runway trends and interpret them in my own (thrifty) way. Sometimes I even confide in the void, sharing my job searches, shopping trips and coffee-chugging adventures. The void and I are practically girlfriends, really.

But this blog is a little different. Now I want to tell the void everything... my thoughts, my dreams, my fears, everything that goes on in the interior writing life. Because, let me tell you, ahem, void, there's quite a bit that goes on in a writer's head. Even when we're gazing at shoes. Flannery O'Connor said it best: "The writer should never be ashamed of staring. There is nothing that does not require his attention."

Yes, I am a blogger, a fashion blogger at that, and yes, I can be vapid. I like heels, handbags and vintage-inspired dresses. I like makeup and hairstyles and cheesy movies. I like chick-lit and chocolate and glossy magazines. But I am also an aspiring journalist, poised to begin my grad studies in print and multimedia journalism. I want to be a writer, an editor, and possibly a news anchor. I want to share untold stories, mine and those of others, with the world.

I am also another kind of writer: a songwriter. I have been writing songs for as long as I can remember. When I was a kid, from elementary school through high school and most of college, I was extremely prolific; I have hundreds of completed songs under my belt. They just poured out of me, almost as if they were fed to my brain vis-a-vis some otherworldly source (Are you there, God? It's me, Erin!). But in the past few years, perhaps discouraged by lousy part-time jobs, student loans, car trouble and other woes, the time that elapses between writing new songs is growing longer and longer. I used to spit out new material like toothpaste; now a full song can take me months to compose. Inspiration seems harder to acquire. Whenever this happens, I joke, as most artists do, that the muse has fled me. Or that my muse is off playing harlot to another (I always thought Muse Playing Harlot would make an awesome band name. Ha.).

But I am happy to report that the muse is returning. In fact, she visited me last night. And gave me the idea for a new song, a mostly autobiographical one: "Storyteller Girl."

Thus, this new blog is born. Even if my mom hates the title (sorry, Mom!).

But storytelling is what I do. I do it every day. And as long as I'm living, I don't plan on stopping. Whether I publish or not, whether my words reach anyone or not, I have always been aware of this mission.

And that is what you are going to witness here. Stories. Songs. Quips. Musings. Check back often... the muse and I will be here!