Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Happy Anniversary To Me!


I had a dream of starting a little blog a year ago in response to a challenge from Tara Lazar to write a post describing what last year's PiBoIdMo experience was like for me.  I barely even knew what a blog was and spent many a frustrating hour trying to create a blog platform for myself.  With a whole lot of luck and some help from my new friends in the writing community (thanks Beth Stilborn and Denise Mclennan Bruce), I managed to create my blog, ON THE WRITE TRACK, and posted my very first post.  You can read it by going here... http://donasdays.blogspot.com/2011/12/piboidmo-was-piece-of-cake.html

I had read somewhere the way to become known in the writing community is to blog often so I decided to create a goal for myself that I would post every single day for an entire year.  365 posts and I didn't even know what I was going to write about.  I felt in my heart that I had something to give back to a community of people who had welcomed me into their ranks and treated me like family.  So I wrote for them and for the other newbie writers like myself who were struggling to figure this whole "writing thing" out...;~)
 
Somehow along the way I found my voice and began getting new followers.  The first time I saw 5O little face icons peeking in on my blog I did a happy dance.  When those numbers bumped up to 100, I did another happy dance.  But when my numbers crept past 200 and kept going I teared up.  Why?  Because it amazed me people chose to stop by daily to read my posts and so I tried my hardest to infuse inspiration and motivation into every sentence I wrote.  A lot of readers (over 1300 of them) read a post I published in October entitled Helping Hands (
http://donasdays.blogspot.com/2012/10/helping-hands.html) and it aptly described how I envision my blog...as a source for others to feel a little bit better after having read one of my posts.  Now here it is, a year later, and I am absolutely blown away by the stats I just pulled for this post.  As of Monday, here are what my numbers look like:

Followers:  302 and growing
Published Comments: 4855
Posts: 332 with 307 published and 25 in drafts (I had to pull some of my published posts back into drafts because of possible future publication issues of my stories)
Visiting Countries: 24
Monthly Hits: 18,109
Total Pageviews: 149,692

I know my blog is a mere pebble in an ocean of blogs but to me, these numbers represent the acknowledgment of a year's worth of effort to inspire, entertain, and inform through my writing.  My readers feel like family and you are the measure of my worth as a writer.  In honor of my one year blog anniversary, I would like to say thanks for believing in me and this blog by giving away some prizes. 
 
If you feel like leaving a comment on this post, I will add your name to the hat for one lucky follower to win a children's book, or novel of your choice up to a retail value of $15 dollars.  Or if you prefer, you may choose from my vast resource library of writer reference books and we will figure out at a later date which one you would like to have.  

But if you get the urge to tell others about my WRITERLY WISDOM coming in January or encourage others to join my FLASH FICTION FRIDAY fun,  just let me know in the comments of this post, and your name will be added to the hat a second time!  The winning name will be announced Monday, December 17th and I will try my best to get the prize to you in time for Christmas!

For anyone else who wants to take advantage of my other anniversary prizes, I will do a general critique of any story you have up to 2000 words.  Depending on how many people might take me up on my offer, I will schedule a time that is convenient for both of us to make good on that promise.

There you have it.  I didn't quite reach my goal of posting every day this past year but that's okay.  I made new friends, added a credit to my "published" list and had the chance to learn from some of the world's best writing talent.  What more could I possibly wish for?









28 comments:

  1. CONGRATULATIONS! Don't feel bad about missing a few days. I had the same goal - started in June and I am at my 160th post so there are some days I was just too busy to write, or really too tired to be honest. The most important is that you didn't let it stop you. Great writing! And great accomplishments!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Emily and welcome to my blog! Thank you for your kind words. I checked out your blog...I like your style of writing...and while I'm envious of your ability to visit new places through your job, I'm not sure I could tackle trying to make it in NYC...lol...

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

      Delete
  2. *clapping* with standing ovation "Yay" you my dear have done splendidly. Congratulations on your one year anniversary. I am so impressed with what you have achieved, and your strength and courage, an inspiration, along with your blog which is always so full of inspiring posts.
    You have been a great friend to me, and I would love a critique from you. Looking forward to your new posts and what you have instore for 2013.
    Go you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Diane!

      Thank you, as always, for your kind words. You too have been a great friend to me this past year and here's to many more years of this writerly friendship!

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

      Delete
  3. *Virtual champagne toast!* Congratulations on your blogoversary! To manage a blog and to keep at it regularly is a challenge (because we all have lives outside our blogs, you know!) and I think it's awesome that you stuck with it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Cynthia! Thank you for your kind words...it certainly has been a challenging year for me!

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

      Delete
  4. Hi Donna - that's amazing and I love your stats .. and writing a post nearly everyday .. it's great to have met you somewhere along the line - possibly this year's A - Z ...

    Good for you - and it's given an outlet for your writing over and above your stories and books .. cheers Hilary

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Hilary! Yes, I think we first met though the A to Z challenge last year...I will probably do it again this year since I had so much fun last time!

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

      Delete
  5. Congratulations, Donna! You're an inspiration...365 posts! You go girl!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Tina! I don't know about an inspiration, but I certainly work hard at my blog...lol...

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

      Delete
  6. Congratulations, Donna. 365 posts is amazing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Mona! Well, I didn't exactly hit my goal of 365 posts but I came close! ;~)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

      Delete
  7. Congratulations, Donna! What a great year! You are an inspiration. I just had my second blogiversary, and my stats can't come close to yours, so you must be doing something very right! :) Happy Blogiversary, congrats on your publication, and looking forward to what's in store from and for you in 2013! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Susanna! Thank you for your kind words. If I knew WHAT I was doing right on my blog, I would try to bottle it and then we could ALL make some money...lol...

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

      Delete
  8. Congratulations on your blogiversary! 150,000 views is more than a little pebble in the ocean of blogs. Great accomplishment. Good for you... And good for all of us!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Genevieve! My problem is that I have nothing to compare these stats to and then I go on other blogs that have literally thousands of followers and then I think my starts are pretty much the same as everyone else's around here...;~)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

      Delete
  9. Congratulations, Donna! This doesn't come without a ton of hard work...I'm amazed at your daily blogging. I could never do it. Here's to another productive year!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Jarm! Yeah, I didn't realize I would come so close to blogging every day but it was a goal I set for myself at the beginning of this journey and I knew I was gonna try my best to reach it...333 is close enough in my book...;~)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

      Delete
  10. Told you so. Told you so. Told you told you told you so! Imagine what you could have done if you had any organizational skills! Wink wink, nudge nudge.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. HAHAHA!! One day I will have to find that guy and thank him for telling me I have NO leadership skills! I wonder where he is now??? ;~)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

      Delete
  11. Happy Anniversary and congrats on making it through your first year of blogging with some great stats. You are an inspiration.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Awww, Alayne, you are too kind!

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

      Delete
  12. Happy Anniversary! I really like your blog! :D :D Keep on kicking (literally ;) )!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Erik! I'm so glad I got to know you over these past twelve months. You, my friend, will go very far in this writing community! And I want YOU to keep kicking as well...;~)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

      Delete
  13. Congratulations on your first blogiversary! Here's to many more! And wow, your stats are truly astonishing. You've obviously hit a chord with readers far and wide. Yay YOU!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Beth! Thank you for your kind words. I truly had no I idea when I started my blog that I would have a year like I've had...the writing part of my life has been truly amazing...and the health part...well, we just won't go into THAT, shall we? Hahahaha...

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

      Delete
  14. Happy belated anniversary, Donna - you're amazing!! I'm so happy to be a part of your Writerly Wisdom series!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Lori! Thank you for your kind words. I'm glad you are a part of my WRITERLY WISDOM series too!

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

      Delete