Do you ever use fiction techniques such
as imaginary dialogue?
Yes. I have found that it's frequently
useful to do so in order to make a point.
Do you ever significantly edit/rewrite
past entries?
Occasionally. The most significant rewriting
I did was when I removed all references to the
company that I work for.
Would you describe your diary as
traditional, essay, novel, rant, letter to someone, a theme journal, or
something different?
I would say that it's more traditional
than anything else, though I delve into
essay writing and ranting from time to time
as well. I've tried using an ongoing theme
but it hasn't necessarily worked out that
way.
What is "one word" that would
describe your diary's content?
Eclectic.
As an online diarist do you consider yourself
a Web celebrity, an
exhibitionist, a public figure, a writer, an innovator,
or something
different?
I would consider myself a writer. I may
have a big ego, but I certainly don't
believe that I am a celebrity.
How do you tackle the mechanics of Web design and how do you deal with your frustrations when you can't do what you envision.
I use a series of PHP scripts that I've written to create a web-based interface to write and edit my diary entries, and a database that I created in MySQL to keep track of the entries and update my home page automatically. I have yet to meet a design challenge that I couldn't overcome.
Why do you think people are interested in what you have to say?
Who knows? I know that I have regular readers from all over the world -- Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, California, Oregon, England, and so on. God knows what they find interesting about what I have to say. I've publically asked for feedback, but have received very little.
What compels you to design beautiful pages and to write from the heart (beyond just the usual question of "why an online journal")?
It's the creative imperative, I suppose. Apart from my enjoyment of writing about topics that I find interesting, I also enjoy the technical challenges that the journal has presented to me in terms of design and programming.
