Back from the dead...again?

You can run Michael Myers over with a car, chop his head clean off with an axe or riddle him with bullets, but you can never be sure he's dead until they stop making Halloween sequels.

That's kind of how I feel about this blog. The credits have long rolled, and the few readers I once had probably forgot it existed. But I'm trying to learn a lesson in perseverance from the masked madman: It's never too late for a comeback. Hopefully my writing won't be quite as terrifying as that pale face and those hollow, unfeeling eyes.

Those (very few) who followed me before might scoff. I have promised to reboot this blog in the past, they'll rightly point out. It's true, and I have no other defense than to say that I sincerely hope that this time will be different, that I will truly repent of my non-blogging ways.

The problem has never been lack of material. I've been pressed a little for time over the past year or two, but I've had plenty of adventures worth sharing in travel, writing, marriage, church and other aspects of life.

I think my main impediment has been perfectionism. I never wanted to be one of those bloggers who shares everything he ate for breakfast or bought at the grocery store that day. (That's what Twitter's for, right?) I'm not necessarily knocking such writers. Many of them of them employ a great mix of knowledge, humor and raw personality that have won them audiences far larger than I'll ever attract.

I guess I feel that blogging is a bit like karaoke for writers, at least in the way I've approached it. A man who knows he can't sing has no problem making a fool of himself on stage at the karaoke bar. It's a bit harder for an award-winning tenor to let loose and belt out "Friends in Low Places." He's got a lot more invested in his identity as a singer, and therefore, more to lose if he screws it up.

Not that my writing is as sweet as Frank Sinatra's voice. That's where the analogy breaks down. What I'm saying is that I always feel like I have to write something groundbreaking in order for it to be worth sharing, when that's really not the case at all. I've withheld too many insights (and blunders), and I've failed to share countless travel experiences that might have proven useful to others, all because I've been too scared to miss a note. Now I'm going to try to lighten up, join the party and have some fun.

So here's what you can expect: I know that most blogs these days have a predictable editorial direction. Some folks pontificate about money, travel, raising children, church planting or another niche in which they've got hard-earned (or self-declared) expertise. I work in online media, so I know that specialization is the key to successful blogging, but that's not what I envision here. My thoughts will be the glue that holds Still Standing together.

I'm not veering totally into left field. I plan to introduce pages to corral posts on some of my more prominent themes, like travel, faith, manhood, family and China. I expect that other blogs (hopefully one on short-term missions in China, specifically) will branch off from this page. Then, I'll try to build a loyal following based on the principles of content marketing.

For now, just consider me back for yet another thrilling sequel.

Cue the Halloween theme song...