So, 800 days of daily blogging it is. I feel like I should have some sort of celebration or something, but since it's 1:15 in the morning and I'm rather tired and achey after a gym session earlier, it can probably wait.
At this juncture, I feel it would be nice to just say a big "thank you" to those of you who have been reading my regular gibberish, and an especially big "thank you" to those of you who contribute comments and engage in discussions. The last couple of months in particular seem to have seen a few new people coming my way, so welcome to those of you who are newcomers.
I may regularly protest that I'm not writing this blog "for" anyone and I actually stand by that — I write these posts each day as an outlet, a form of escapism or, at times, catharsis. They have proven very effective on that front over the last couple of years. I'd go so far as to say that surviving some of the trials and tribulations my life has thrown my way would have been considerably more difficult — possibly insurmountable, though we'll never know (unless dimension-jumping technology gets invented) — without this faithful old WordPress page to empty my brain onto.
That said, it's fun and — I won't lie — a little bit exciting when people leave a comment and start a discussion. I believe most bloggers feel that way. Getting comments is a sign of "approval" — not necessarily of your opinions, but of the means through which you've argued them. Inspiring a comment, be it an "agree" or a "disagree", means that you've moved someone to actually say something rather than just click the Like button. (There's nothing wrong with that, incidentally — if you just enjoyed/appreciated a post but have nothing further to add, a Like is always gratefully received.) And so far as I can remember, most (if not all) comments on this here site have been respectful, interesting and showing willingness to engage in conversation. Also people who read this seem to be able to spell and punctuate correctly, which is always a massive bonus in this Facebook-dominated world where everyone seems to think that capital letters are just an inconvenience.
So after 800 daily posts, what now? 800 more, of course! Though I must confess in recent months it's been becoming harder and harder to think of things to write about. Oddly enough I feel that some of my most creative work on this blog was done during possibly the worst period of my life, perhaps as a means of escaping the crushing depression of what was going on in "reality" at the time. They say that artists produce their best work when tortured, and while I certainly wouldn't refer to this site and these 800+ posts as "art", it's clear that whatever Shit I've Had Going Down at various points over the last 800 days has affected the things I write about — whether consciously or subconsciously. In that sense, I often find it interesting to skip back to a random post and not only read it but also picture the context of what was going on in my life at that time. It's an interesting — if sometimes painful — journey that I've taken, and to have chronicled it quite so exhaustively (if not always explicitly describing exactly what happened each day) is something I can look back on with a degree of pride and satisfaction.
As I approach my 31st birthday (April 29th, please send money or gifts to the usual address) I don't know what the future holds for me — personally, professionally, physically, mentally. But so long as I've got this text editor window and a "Publish" button I'm confident I can deal with whatever comes this way.
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Pete, what made you start writing something everyday? I just started a blog myself and actually find it a bit hard to start writing.
The whole "oneaday" thing was initially a group of people who came together to try and post something every day for a year. It started back in 2010. Most people didn't make it to the end of the year. Some — including the original organiser — barely made it out of the first month. But I enjoyed it, so I kept going.
If nothing else, it's good practice at coming up with something creative every day. And if all else fails, as Jud says below, you can always fall back on completely imaginative pieces. 🙂
Congratulations on 800 posts, Pete! I don't always read every single post you write (I try my best to) and I respond even less, but I admire your dedication. Here's to the last 800 and to 800 more!
Thanks! I'd be very impressed by anyone who did read every post, but I'm happy to know folks do check in semi-regularly. As I say, it's always nice to hear from them, too!
800 posts?! Congrats! That's definitely a milestone if there ever was one. I reckon I've only been around for 30 or so of those, but I've enjoyed catching up (I admit, I haven't yet read *all* of them). Your dedication is a great inspiration to me with my own blog – I'm lucky to get two posts a week!
Oh, and your post about MLP finally gave me the push I needed to start watching the series. 😉
If you manage to read all of them, you get a cookie. Hah. Only joking. I don't have any cookies. 🙂
It's been an interesting journey, for sure. As I said to Matt above, I'd be very impressed by anyone who did read every single post I've done — largely 'cause I know that some are utter garbage — but the whole thing was initially supposed to be about "just writing" — sitting down in front of a blank page and filling it with… stuff. Exactly what that stuff needed to be didn't matter; just the fact that you got creative every day.
It's just part of my daily routine now. Seems to impress people sometimes, though. 🙂
Congrats on 800 posts Hun!! You've done so well to get this far 🙂 Raising a cup of coffee to the next 800 days!
Wa-whooooo! Thanks, Gracie. I can well and truly get behind celebratory coffee-drinking. 🙂
OMG Another Taurus! I'm surrounded by Taurians.aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Now I've got that out of my system, Congratulations on making 800 posts – and every single day of blogging as well. I've only done 116 so far in my gamereviews blog and another 25ish in my writing blog. And I know how tiring that is. Mind you I am antique and you are fantastically young – in fact around 30ish is the very best age to be – you know enough to look at people and events with a degree of care but are young enough to dive in and enjoy what life throws at you despite the knowledge.
Did that make sense? I wish I could be 31 again. Not that I didn't enjoy it first time round – I just want more of the same 🙂
I am glad that you look on those commenting – from among your 'tens of viewers' lol – as friends, who are interested in what you have to say and can relate to your points of views regardless of whether the content is personally important to them. At least you don't think we are cyber-stalking you – a thing that makes me NOT comment quite often. I would hate to think I am making anyone else uncomfortable. But like you I wish people would comment on my blogs – at least then I would know if they were helped by the Troubleshooting pages. These are regularly viewed so I am hopeful, but I get no feedback.
One last thing – when you have trouble thinking of things to blog about, turn to your creative writing. It is wonderful stuff and I want to see more of it. I can't wait for the NaNoWriMo to come around again so that I can read your next contribution. My own creative writing has of course come to a screeching halt – I just can't physically keep up with all the blogs needed for this review site, so have been neglecting the judsjottings. Mind you I did notice in the last couple of weeks that people are viewing the site regardless of whether I have added anything new, at an average of 20 a day. So I guess I could slacken off a little – 🙂
Anyway, well done you!
Oh yes, people commenting here are totally friend material. This is not in any way, shape or form a "professional" blog so I'm not expecting professional discourse between professional types being professional here. I get that in my day job. (Actually, I don't — the articles I write tend to be read by people who don't comment much. But I'm cool with that.)
No, if you're hanging out here, it's all about kicking back and having a nice chat about stuff. This blog is a bit of a window into my soul, after all, so it's nice to be able to learn a bit about the people who stop by, too.
I certainly will turn to creative writing (hah, I make it sound like turning to drugs or something) if I hit particularly bad writer's block. I have done a number of times in the past, in fact, not just when I set myself a goal to splurge out a complete story over the course of a month. Thanks for the affirmations. 🙂