This morning, I tried to do something different for The Diary: finish a draft before working hours. But because I’m normally a night owl and I need caffeine to function properly in the morning, I stayed away from my blog for a bit, had breakfast, drank coffee, and then did my usual clerical work. And I also joined Father on his survey in Laguna.
And while we were on the way to the job site, I scrolled through my blog. And then I found a great topic for today’s post, thanks to the nine latest Instagram posts shown on my blog’s sidebar.
Well, then. Now I’m back from Laguna, let me tell you about my Instagram account/feed!
My Instagram History and Feed Theme
My Instagram handle is, of course, @derangedwriter, and I have been posting on the popular social media app since August 2013. At first, I almost posted every day, but eventually, I made sure to post something at least once a month. (Except last February 2023, when I forgot to post something because I’m adjusting to waking up early and working early again.)
As for having a feed theme, since I started using Instagram, I settled on a black-and-white theme. Then, in June 2016, I started applying an alternating checkerboard theme to my feed. Here’s my process for achieving that theme:
- First, I post a full image (either in landscape or portrait orientation).
- Next, I post a photo of a subject with a grey background. (Usually in portrait orientation.)
- Repeat step one.
- Repeat step two, and so on.
As a preview of my monochromatic feed theme, here are my nine latest Instagram posts (as also shown on this website’s sidebar).
My Instagram Topics
What are my Instagram topics? It varies. As you can see on the feed above, I usually post photos of an action figure or vinyl toy that I love, my favorite drinks and desserts with my custom Funko Pop (made by the amazing Gino Roberto Customs), and urban landscapes.
Sometimes I would post a self-portrait (with me wearing my mask, of course). Sometimes I would post anything related to music or professional wrestling. And on rare occasions, I post portraits of my loved ones.
In the future, I will post word snippets or perhaps full texts with grey backgrounds and more portraits. (Crossing my fingers on the latter.)
How I Write My Instagram Captions
As for how I write my Instagram captions, I start with the title of the post and the word “noir”. This is inspired by how Chris Fisher (executive producer of my favorite TV show Person of Interest) writes his own Instagram captions. And since January 2022, I started capitalizing my titles and adding Roman numerals just like how I write my titles here on The Diary.
After writing the title and main caption, I add my hashtags like #DerangedWriterNoir and #MarkMyFNWords.
My Instagram Tools
I have taken my photos for the past two years using my trusty Samsung A52s 5G. As for editing my photos, I have used VSCO to crop, edit, and apply the black-and-white filters B1, 01, 02, and 03.
September 8, 2025 update: Since June 2024, I have been using my iPhone 15 for taking photos and Adobe Lightroom for editing photos.
My Future on Instagram
I have been posting on my Instagram for almost ten years now, sharing images of my favorite things. And as I said before, I’m planning to expand my Instagram content with word snippets and more portraits. And I’m not planning on stopping until the famous social networking app ceases to exist.
And let me plug my Instagram one more time: @derangedwriter.
And you, my dear reader/s: Do you have Instagram? If yes, what is your handle, and do you have a theme for your feed? Let me know in the comments section below, and if you do have an Instagram account, let’s be Instagram buddies!
Mark my f’n words,
The Deranged Writer
Ω
Image header: Prateek Katyal of Pexels. Edited in Adobe Photoshop 2022.
Updated on September 8, 2025.
The Diary of The Deranged Writer 