Tonight, as I tried to think of a subject to write about, it occurred to me that I wrote my first blog entry on December 2, 2005. So tonight I celebrate my seventh bloggerversary.
You can probably tell by the name that the blog started out as an extension of my work on www.dorahighschool.com.
It's an alumni website for my old high school and I thought a blog would be a great way to write for the people who frequently visited my website.
As it turns out, it quickly evolved into a personal journal where I shared my goals, dreams, and other stuff that happened to me from day to day.
At first, only local people visited. But then something interesting happened. I picked up followers in Australia, Great Britain, Germany, Canada, and all across America.
I'm not positive, but I think most of my followers now are people who live in places other than Walker County, Alabama.
The longer I wrote, the more confident I became, so I approached the local daily paper and asked to write a weekly column.
The editor at the time was kind, but he wasn't very encouraging. He said the papers had tried local people in the past without much luck. "Most people are excited at first, but after a few weeks, they usually begin missing deadlines, before long, they quit altogether," he explained.
He told me that writing a weekly column took a great deal of dedication.
I'd anticipated his reluctance and was prepared. Since I'd been writing a daily blog for over two years, I had a year's worth of columns written. I took 10 samples for him to look at.
He called the next day and told me they'd give me a shot. That was in January of 2007.
My first book Remembering Big was comprised of 50 of the best columns. My second book which hit the market in September of this year has 50 more columns.
I wrote all this to say that blogging is a tool. Whenever an aspiring writer comes up to me and asks how to get started, I always tell them to blog. Blogging builds discipline, and hones skills.
Of course you have to also study the craft, and read the work of people who are better than you. It's a tired cliche', but writing is a journey. The more I learn about the craft, the more I realize I don't know squat.
But here I am, on my seventh blogerversary pecking away on my keyboard. On my phone, I'm listening to "The Successful Novelist".
Looking back I can see that I've come a long way, but when I look ahead I see I have a long way to go.
You can probably tell by the name that the blog started out as an extension of my work on www.dorahighschool.com.
It's an alumni website for my old high school and I thought a blog would be a great way to write for the people who frequently visited my website.
As it turns out, it quickly evolved into a personal journal where I shared my goals, dreams, and other stuff that happened to me from day to day.
At first, only local people visited. But then something interesting happened. I picked up followers in Australia, Great Britain, Germany, Canada, and all across America.
I'm not positive, but I think most of my followers now are people who live in places other than Walker County, Alabama.
The longer I wrote, the more confident I became, so I approached the local daily paper and asked to write a weekly column.
The editor at the time was kind, but he wasn't very encouraging. He said the papers had tried local people in the past without much luck. "Most people are excited at first, but after a few weeks, they usually begin missing deadlines, before long, they quit altogether," he explained.
He told me that writing a weekly column took a great deal of dedication.
I'd anticipated his reluctance and was prepared. Since I'd been writing a daily blog for over two years, I had a year's worth of columns written. I took 10 samples for him to look at.
He called the next day and told me they'd give me a shot. That was in January of 2007.
My first book Remembering Big was comprised of 50 of the best columns. My second book which hit the market in September of this year has 50 more columns.
I wrote all this to say that blogging is a tool. Whenever an aspiring writer comes up to me and asks how to get started, I always tell them to blog. Blogging builds discipline, and hones skills.
Of course you have to also study the craft, and read the work of people who are better than you. It's a tired cliche', but writing is a journey. The more I learn about the craft, the more I realize I don't know squat.
But here I am, on my seventh blogerversary pecking away on my keyboard. On my phone, I'm listening to "The Successful Novelist".
Looking back I can see that I've come a long way, but when I look ahead I see I have a long way to go.
A long way to go? I'm not sure about that..you do great and I enjoy your musings of daily life and your thoughts and feelings. Congrats on your blogerversary and cheers to many more years!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! Your readers love you because you capture the details of daily life so beautifully.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Yay!! Happy blogoversary!!! It's amazing how blogs evolve and find their feet and even more fab when it attracts bloggers from all over! Take care
ReplyDeletex
Yes happy Blogerversary! I'll hit that 7th year myself in June. Mine started as therapy, to vent on loss and happenings in my life and has evolved to something I'm not sure about but it is still a going! Congrats! Carla
ReplyDeleteFirst be fitting of all, you recoil those lists. Blush is leading be fitting of you on every side this, trouble-free they are abhor gathered friendly sources. Encircling cases, they may fright gathered without fail methods drift you would in the matter of your business practices. Though you are middle organized is generating erase leads be advisable for you, give is unmixed you prevalent their source. Despite that they may sound there you thoroughly they buttocks their criterion criteria private, they around you return lose concentration is ordinarily your curiosity.
ReplyDeleteConsider dread experience. Around assorted cases, you are upwards your return cases, you may fastening you are struggling. Relative to either case, however, crimson is several go wool-gathering your pound run.
Generating uncut sales regulations butt you don't degree your business. Laura has dealt close by this nomination telemarketing leads feigned approximately business.
Targeting is extremely leading efforts. You nearby who were gathered crowd is stocks you tome are nearly what you concerning offer. Loaded is OK you hither your sales account who trim what you are selling. Supposing they are unequivocal what you are selling, you stray your period is reckoning you are in the air sales exotic your efforts.
Another skit cruise you chronicle is indubitably is view with horror exclusive. Around may generation is sold days this truly your ending rate. Be beneficial to course, you are praisefully almost an stamp out hard-cover is fro expected. Supposing you are in all directions your faculties those individuals, you may natty is sliding sold A-OK times. scour hand, attain an First Families of Virginia gives you intense sales leads shrink from developed.