Last week, I had dinner with my friend Leslee. Her blog, Waiting for the Click, was what inspired me to start my own blog — what you’re reading right now. Leslee is also an aspiring writer who happens to be on her own spiritual journey. She used blogging to combine these two important aspects of her life.
After reading her blog for a few months, I decided that perhaps this was something I might enjoy. At first, I had no intention of telling more than a handful of people about it. I wasn’t comfortable putting myself “out there.” The point was to have an obligation to write something, if not everyday then most days of the week. It was supposed to inspire me to work harder on my ultimate goal of being a novelist. (I read somewhere that the more one talks about a dream, the less likely one is to achieve it, so I’m trying to say as little as possible about that, but it’s relevant to this post, so I’m talking about it now).
Somewhere over the rainbow ...
Then I caught the bug. I decided to “go public.” Mostly, this meant posting links on Facebook, which brought friends and family here. A few people found me through Google searches or clicked on the link that is my e-mail signature. I started obsessing about the numbers. I joined The Secret is in the Sauce (SITS) and started getting more and more hits. I signed up to be the site’s featured blogger. Last Wednesday was my day, and also the day Leslee chose to get together for dinner. It was apropos.
Several months ago, I started blogging every day. The ideas came fast and furious and it was all I could do to keep up with them. I had posts scheduled two weeks ahead and every day, I had something new to say. Then, one day, the ideas stopped. I couldn’t, for months, think of anything to say. I stopped even signing in to my blog. I stopped reading others’ blogs. I checked out.
And then I came back.
Leslee told me last week that she wants to take some time off from her blog. Her reasoning was that she’s gotten too caught up in the numbers. Like me, she checks them constantly throughout the day, just to see how “popular” she is. Like me, she lost sight of why she started blogging in the first place. Like me, she needed a break.
I’ve reclaimed my blog. I still visit SITS. I still read and comment on blogs I find interesting. The ones I like most get posted over there ——————>. I read them every day and hope others will discover these gems, as well. And I still look at the numbers.
But I don’t obsess over them. Now, it’s more of a curiosity thing. For some reason, a few weeks ago, the numbers jumped. They doubles and sometimes even tripled the audience I had. I have no idea why or how this happened, but it’s fun to see how many people find me and how they find me. I wish more would comment. I love the feedback. But knowing people are reading is nice, just the same.
On my SITS day, more than 1,500 people visited my blog and many of them left comments. It was fun. I hope some of them liked it here enough to come back. Because, while we writers write for the sake of writing, there really isn’t much point if no one is reading. So, I welcome everyone who finds me, no matter how they find me.
But in the end, this blog is mine and it’s for me. It isn’t my career, but a starting point for the career I want. The numbers don’t matter anymore. The writing does.
An Unexplored Wilderness 