And we're done
As I've said before, I love looking back on my stories from the early years of ValleyScare, when I created this blog to preserve memories of the fun I had.
I haven't had much to write about in recent years, but I have found a few things. While I wrote this blog for my benefit, and did little to promote it initially, I did have a small readership back in 2006, thanks to a community of Live Journal users in 2006. Most, if not all of those people, have long since quit using Live Journal. I'm not sure why I picked Live Journal back then, but I do wish my content was on a Blogger account instead. Oh well.
I also created a Twitter account on a whim, and use it now and then to have fun, but it's not as if I built an audience for my writing. Twitter came along toward the end of my acting career, although I doubt it would have generated a mass audience had it been available to me at the start of my ValleyScare career.
My ValleyScare account became a platform to write about the local haunt scene, and a few memories, as well as experiences working at ValleyScare. I was fortunate to work for a company that didn't get uptight about my blogging.
I remember getting comments from a woman I never met, a woman who recognized me in the asylum many years ago only by my dialogue. I enjoyed reading her blog, but like most people she disappeared from my online world.
I also had interest in my blog from a woman who I have communicated with periodically to this day via Twitter. We've even met and chatted a couple of times while I've worked at the Minnesota State Fair.
One of our original cemetery dwellers, a guy named Steve, use to correspond with me via this blog. I knew who he was because of his distinct character, but we never chatted in person. He was married and had a child, and that ended his adventures in the cemetery.
I had small doses of correspondence with a few people who had no connection to ValleyScare, they simply enjoyed my blog and wanted to share a comment or two.
None of that communication happens any more, but that's to be expected. I don't do a lot of writing for this blog, and therefore I'm not giving people a reason to keep coming back.
I have no idea what my life will look like next fall. My gut instinct is that I'll return to ValleyScare, but under certain circumstances I might retire from the haunt industry. Since I'm planning to visit Las Vegas for Halloween next year, I'd like the benefit of the added income I receive from ValleyScare in helping to bankroll my trip, a trip I already have more than $325 saved for. Regardless of what happens next fall, my career in the haunt industry most likely has no more than one more season left. I never say never, but I have a strong sense that the end is near.
One thing I do know, or at least think I know: It's time to retire this blog. The content isn't going anywhere, not as long as Live Journal supports it, but my interest in writing about the haunt industry is pretty much dead, and I'm run out of things to say. I could simply ignore this blog and let it dangle without a closing statement, but that's not how I operate. I like to close the book.
Yes, I could re-open the book, and I'm a big "never say never" guy, so I won't rule out the possibility that I'm wrong this evening, but that pesky gut instinct tells me that this is the final chapter.
Am I wrong? Only time will tell.
Thanks to everyone who has enjoyed my content... even though 99.9 percent of those folks will never read this sentence.
I haven't had much to write about in recent years, but I have found a few things. While I wrote this blog for my benefit, and did little to promote it initially, I did have a small readership back in 2006, thanks to a community of Live Journal users in 2006. Most, if not all of those people, have long since quit using Live Journal. I'm not sure why I picked Live Journal back then, but I do wish my content was on a Blogger account instead. Oh well.
I also created a Twitter account on a whim, and use it now and then to have fun, but it's not as if I built an audience for my writing. Twitter came along toward the end of my acting career, although I doubt it would have generated a mass audience had it been available to me at the start of my ValleyScare career.
My ValleyScare account became a platform to write about the local haunt scene, and a few memories, as well as experiences working at ValleyScare. I was fortunate to work for a company that didn't get uptight about my blogging.
I remember getting comments from a woman I never met, a woman who recognized me in the asylum many years ago only by my dialogue. I enjoyed reading her blog, but like most people she disappeared from my online world.
I also had interest in my blog from a woman who I have communicated with periodically to this day via Twitter. We've even met and chatted a couple of times while I've worked at the Minnesota State Fair.
One of our original cemetery dwellers, a guy named Steve, use to correspond with me via this blog. I knew who he was because of his distinct character, but we never chatted in person. He was married and had a child, and that ended his adventures in the cemetery.
I had small doses of correspondence with a few people who had no connection to ValleyScare, they simply enjoyed my blog and wanted to share a comment or two.
None of that communication happens any more, but that's to be expected. I don't do a lot of writing for this blog, and therefore I'm not giving people a reason to keep coming back.
I have no idea what my life will look like next fall. My gut instinct is that I'll return to ValleyScare, but under certain circumstances I might retire from the haunt industry. Since I'm planning to visit Las Vegas for Halloween next year, I'd like the benefit of the added income I receive from ValleyScare in helping to bankroll my trip, a trip I already have more than $325 saved for. Regardless of what happens next fall, my career in the haunt industry most likely has no more than one more season left. I never say never, but I have a strong sense that the end is near.
One thing I do know, or at least think I know: It's time to retire this blog. The content isn't going anywhere, not as long as Live Journal supports it, but my interest in writing about the haunt industry is pretty much dead, and I'm run out of things to say. I could simply ignore this blog and let it dangle without a closing statement, but that's not how I operate. I like to close the book.
Yes, I could re-open the book, and I'm a big "never say never" guy, so I won't rule out the possibility that I'm wrong this evening, but that pesky gut instinct tells me that this is the final chapter.
Am I wrong? Only time will tell.
Thanks to everyone who has enjoyed my content... even though 99.9 percent of those folks will never read this sentence.