Under pressure

It seems I may have created a monster

Every day a new HEMA Blog appears, Hemaman, Hemagirl, Hemadog, Hemagoth, and more lately Baskethilt Broadsword Boy and Sword Punk.

I don’t know whether to be flattered or annoyed.

A part of me believes that imitation is indeed the sincerest form of flattery, that somehow my actions have made it acceptable to be honest about your feelings and get them out there for other people to read. That part of me is quite happy indeed with the situation and would dearly love more to start

However there is another part of me that isn’t quite so keen. That part of me understands that there is a finite amount of reading any one person can do and that the larger the pool of writing there is to draw from, the smaller the chance it is me that they are reading. That is the part that enjoyed it immensely when I stood alone and people were discussing my every word.

It isn’t a very big part of me though.

I am too much a capitalist at heart. I honestly believe that competition is a good thing.

The more blogs there are, the more I have to strive to make mine the one that stands out. The more competition there is, the better the overall result will be.

This is also true of original source interpretations.

Every time I talk to someone about what I do I want them to question me. I don’t want them to simply take what I say as the gospel truth (an odd phrase for an atheist I know). I want to be constantly under pressure to show my reasoning. I want my interpretation to be forced to prove itself both against the intricacies of the source manuscript, but also against physical pressure.

Yes it works, but does it work when I am tired, gasping for breath, filled with adrenaline and being watched by everyone else?

Ok so it works, but does it match the manuscript? Is there anything that I do that is contradicted by the text or the pictures?

Does my interpretation make sense when compared to that of other people who have looked at the same source? Can they show me something that better fits the facts?

In summary, am I the best? If not then why not?

Could it be that I spend too much time typing and not enough training?

Is it too much to ask to be the best at both?