About Me — Daniel R.

“All the knowledge I possess every one else can acquire, but my heart is exclusively my own.” — Sorrows of Young Werther by Goethe.

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Much like any other writer who has yet to taste a modicum of viral success, having to talk about oneself in any sort of upbeat, positive, and professional-seeming manner is quite a bothersome task. It has also always fascinated me what information people choose to offer up first — after the obligatory name, age, and profession.

For instance, my default opening tends to be about my academic achievements — these are the most recent, given my late-blooming, and also are the least boastful boasts I feel I could make. There’s something terribly British — or a by-product of anxiety/depression — that makes the idea of talking about one’s accomplishments seem as if one was standing on a soapbox in a city center with a megaphone telling everyone to look at me for a moment. Instead, I can always draw upon my First-Class Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing and English Literature, as well as my Master’s with Distinction in Creative Writing. Sometimes, if I am feeling particularly boastful (read: less cripplingly British) I would mention how highly-ranked the University in question is when it comes to their Creative Writing programme. Lately, I’ll even throw in the fact I am…