When you have a blog post that exceeds all expectations,
then what? When your page views double in a matter of weeks, where do we go
from here? That’s a hard one to follow. I thought it would be nice to take a
look back at where writing has taken me in a little over a year and what it
looks like for the future. Let's celebrate!
I started writing, as so many of you know, on my 30th
birthday. It’s been slightly over 14 months.
Fun Facts
From This Side of Thirty @ 14 months
I hated writing in school! Could not stand it. I never
understood why you needed to write 3 double spaced typed pages, when you could
say all you needed to say in 1… triple spaced.
I have 1 draft that has been written and not yet published.
Waiting for the right time.
It takes about an hour to put together the text for most of
my posts.
Adding pictures and links to other pages adds time to the
posting process.
I prefer to not participate in human conversation while
writing. The kids have caught on...finally!
I don’t like to write at a table or desk. I prefer a comfy
chair or couch with a pillow on my lap to hold my computer.
I’m on my 3rd computer since the blog began.
My first post had 84 readers. That’s mostly my family and a
handful of people who were looking for On
This Side of Thirty OR From This Side of Thirty-five and got
lost.
It wasn’t until November of 2014 when I put my heart and
soul into sharing my dad’s story battling alcoholism that the blog broke the
400 mark on page views. 450 people read that story and I was ecstatic to finally
be writing with the knowledge that hundreds of people appreciated my words.
The 1 year bloggiversary came and went, then in April I
poured out my heart again about friendship and the one I call, BFF. It didn’t
get 500, 600 or 700 views…It had 800+ page views in a matter of days. I was out
of my mind with glee! I can’t even begin to explain how thrilled I was to have
my words read by so many family, friends and now strangers too!
AND THEN… Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better for
my writing, I posted The Story of Us. It was a brief account of mine and Ole
Jus’s love story so far, ups and downs and all arounds. AND I’LL BE DURNED IF
OVER SEVENTEEN HUNDRED PEOPLE READ IT!!!! 1,775 is where the page view count
stands today. I can’t even begin to write words to help you understand how it
makes me feel. Some options… Shock. Surprise. Delight. Enchantment. Wonder.
Disbelief.
As if all of that excitement wasn’t enough, I got word of a
writing job offer that is in the works. One that pays real dollars! It came
about within the last couple of weeks. I can’t say too much yet, but y’all will
be the first to know when it’s official.
From This Side of Thirty has over 18,000 all time views, so thank you! Thank you! Thank you! If your eyes are blinking
while aimed at these words, thank you! It’s because you read, you appreciate
and you share. It’s beyond my wildest dreams…FROM THIS SIDE OF THIRTY.
Labels: Dad, Friendship, Marriage, Milestones
