Scrawls of an Idle Mind: A Writer’s Thoughts on Setting Up a New Website

We love to highlight established blogs and websites to show how you can use WordPress.com to tell your own stories, but we also think you’ll find inspiration from new sites and fresh voices. Meet Nicholas Rinth, the writer at Scrawls of an Idle Mind, who was kind enough to chat with us about setting up his website.

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You could choose from numerous platforms to publish your work online. Why did you go with WordPress.com?

I found quite a few centered on poetry, short stories, and fantasy and realized most were powered by WordPress.com.

The decision wasn’t easy. I stayed up all night reading articles titled “The 15 Best Blogging Sites” and “Excellent Digital Publishing Platforms for Serious Writers,” or something along those lines. It was like a series of ads trying to sell you their product by describing the same features over and over again (yes, I choose you, Geico).

In the end, I searched for a few creative writing blogs by people with the same interests. I found quite a few centered on poetry, short stories, and fantasy and realized most were powered by WordPress.com. Long story short, after the longest five minutes of my life spent stressing over instructions on how to construct a blog and if WordPress.com was really right for me, I just decided to go for it.

Needless to say, I’m extremely happy with the result!

We love how you’ve transformed the Affinity theme — which is specially designed for weddings and family announcements — into a stylish, minimal space for your writing and poetry. Can you give us a tour of your front page?

The inspiration corner and copyright sections in Nic’s footer were created with Text Widgets.

I’m afraid there isn’t much to say — which was, in truth, my goal. I open with little more than a short introductory message to all readers and lurkers that stumble upon my blog, telling them what they can expect from all those neat little sections lined up on the menu. And if they aren’t intrigued enough to stay, then I do hope they take a few parting words with them from the inspiration corner.

Looking for the perfect theme? Browse ten options for writers.

I’ve received quite a few compliments from bloggers about the layout. I’m glad so many people seem to enjoy what I’ve done with it. I dabbled with a few other designs, but I was hooked on the simple style of the Affinity theme. The featured images aren’t distracting, and its minimal layout is perfect for writing.

You’ve established a few features, like your Prompts and Letters to No One. Can you tell us about these?

Need post ideas? The one-word prompts at The Daily Post can offer the spark you’re looking for.

Prompts are a fun, little way for readers to help me improve my writing through brief challenges or story and poem requests. I’ve received a few word limit challenges asking me to describe a setting or something similar in 50 words or less. They’re mostly simple things, but exciting nonetheless. Sometimes when my mind is fried, it’s hard to think about a topic to write about. These prompts give me something to do.

These letters are written when my pen bleeds ink.

My Letters to No One section, however, is the complete opposite. These letters are written when my pen bleeds ink. When I have too much on my mind and I need to get them out — be it random phrases, bottled emotions, or an overload of observations. Some are about certain people, others are completely made up. Either way, they’re letters of passion that won’t ever be sent. Maybe when I have enough, I’ll compile them all into a nice little ebook. A lot of people seem to like them.

Nicholas Rinth is a pseudonym — why the anonymity? While internet anonymity certainly has its dark side, what are the benefits of blogging under a different name?

It allows you to be someone else, to take on the role of someone who can be so different from yourself. There’s freedom in that.

Before blogging, I was writing a fantasy manuscript. I still am, though I’m proud to say that it’s the next installment in the series already, and my goal is to have it published before I wrap up the second book. After a while, I got to that point where I thought, “Is it my name I want attached to this?” Of course my ego screamed, “Yes!” But as someone that’s had a pen name for their entire — admittedly short — internet career, I’ve always found something special about it. It allows you to be someone else, to take on the role of someone who can be so different from yourself. There’s freedom in that. And since I created this blog to build my writing platform, it’s only right that I centered it around the pseudonym I plan to use in the future for traditionally published writing.

How do you hope this new site will evolve?

I’ll just be hoping, working, and taking it one step at a time until each and every part of my site has something to show.

I hope to add more writing sections. Maybe a publications section in the future that features officially published works in magazines and journals (ambitious, I know, but aiming big keeps me dreaming). I’d like to add content to the lonely pages that say “content coming soon” — like my Store page — but I can’t just yet. That section is reserved for my book once it’s released. Until then, I’ll just be hoping, working, and taking it one step at a time until each and every part of my site has something to show.

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Explore more from Nicholas Rinth at Scrawls of an Idle Mind.