Transitions

It is an open question whether it is easier to start something new, or to transition into it. On the one hand, getting started is always a challenge in its own right - social and/or psychological inertia has its way to slow things down before they are even started. On the other hand, the same goes for a transition, with the added worry that established habits tend to stay established.

In my case, we have the good fortune to witness both at work at once. In more ways than one. Three, to be precise.

The most obvious transition is, of course, the language. It is not a barrier as much as a matter of practice - and as we all know, practice is skill. Writing in one language is pretty much like writing in another. Structure, planning, research and all that is pretty much language-neutral. But the nuances, idioms, turns of phrase and subtle shiftings in expected grammar - these are things that need to be learnt by doing.

So doing is the first thing on the agenda. Followed by learning.

Another obvious transition is this new blog thingy. Every blog is a new context, and over time it matures into somewhat of a genre of its own. While there are similarities between blogs, no two blogs with an intention behind them are alike - even when written by the same author. The collective weight of previous posts makes demands on the writer, in part because of what the readers have come to expect of future posts. And, in part, by the habits the writer has created in the course of writing.

It remains to be seen which habits will carry over from previous blogs, and which will have to be abandoned during the learning and doing.

The third transition is not only obvious - it is also the whole point. Switching from one language to another is not only a stylistic matter, but also a switch in who will be able to read. Lokalspeek has, in the grand scheme of things, a very limited number of readers, and if my intentions were to keep writing just for my existing readers I wouldn't have to change anything at all. But now, I will have to rethink my relations with my new audience.

Which, for all intents and purposes, is you. Whether you read it while this is hot off the virtual press, or in some distant future we have yet to invent.

Hi. Nice to meet you.