One Year of Being Here
Here’s the thing about birthdays and anniversaries: with each passing year, you are leveling up. When you age, you’re maturing. For sure in the physical sense; hopefully in the emotional sense, too. Another year in your marriage means another 365 days you spent growing with your spouse. You’re going into your tenth year at the same job, and that often means a raise, a promotion, responsibility over a big project. What does one whole year of running a blog mean?
Technically, my first blog post went live February 2nd of last year, which feels crazy to me because, lately, I’ve been doing that thing where I think to myself, This time last year I was… And do you know what? This time last year I was only about two months into a year in Germany, living in a lovely house that was nearly empty because our household goods wouldn’t be delivered for another two weeks, and trying very hard (and not always succeeding) to not be so uncomfortable around so much that was unfamiliar.
All the while, I was dreaming. Absolutely. Dreaming and imagining and deciding that my creative aspirations weren’t only going to live in my head. I wasn’t sure what exactly it would look like to set my writing goals into motion, but this blog, my website, is one of them—and taking a look at it now, one year later, I’ll take a stab at telling you what it’s come to mean to me.
It would be entirely wrong of me to not begin by talking about my husband because something I hadn’t expected my writing aspirations and blog work to showcase is just how much I made the right decision to marry that man. I didn’t need the reminder; I see his heart and devotion in all the other aspects of our life together. And, when it came to my writing, I saw it as solely my thing. Because I have to be the one, at the end of the day, to sit down and get the words down onto a page. I have to be the one querying agents. I have to be thinking and drafting and so much of the work is isolated by nature.
So, what a gift—that I hope I appreciate even more with this second year—that my beloved boysy said, “I want you to prioritize your writing,” and “I’ll help you build a website” among other supportive things. There are many weeks I feel as though I were writing into the void, as analytics tell me not a lot of eyes have landed on my latest piece, and he’s a source of steady encouragement. There are weeks I’m simply tired or not sure what to write about. Or, on the flip side, he’s so happy for me when I share wins with him or ideas I’m excited about.
There are others in my life, too, in addition to my dear husband, and I’m well aware of how blessed I am to have people who want to see me succeed, who cheer me on, who toss ideas my way for how I can keep growing. This is no small thing, and year one of being a blogger has helped me level up in this way: growing in my capacity for gratitude and making more of an effort to be supportive to other writers, as being on the receiving end of incredible support has made all the difference for me.
That might sound too cheesy or sentimental, and there are definitely more concrete skills I’ve been developing; yet, what good are the other things without a grateful heart? I may write in isolation because that’s how it’s done, but writing, storytelling, is meant to bring people together, meant to connect people. There’s still a lot of ground to cover regarding the bigger audience I want to connect with, but I’m satisfied by how a year of dedicated writing has brought me closer to the people I love and who love me back.
And, if you’re looking for some insight into the lessons I’ve learned during this experiment, allow me to share a few:
Give ideas your best effort and recognize when you either need to let an idea go or pivot. Not everything will go right the first time you try it. You often need to make adjustments, give things time, or realize your energy could be better put to trying something else. All of that is okay.
You need to create in a way that feels true to you, not what’s trending at the moment. It’s very tempting to write or make content simply because you know people are buzzing about it and you’ll likely get eyes on it. If you don’t feel inspired by trends, you don’t have to embrace them. Even if that means your content doesn’t get the attention you feel it deserves, you’re going to be less frustrated in the long-run.
Pay attention to tips and tricks others share, whether that be about how they wrote their query letter or things they do to try and grow their Writer-gram accounts. No one is asking you to reinvent the wheel, and you shouldn’t ask that of yourself. Take good advice when it comes to you.
Don’t be scared of discipline. You want to be productive? You want to be consistent? Be disciplined, my friend, and take yourself seriously.
It can be intimidating to embark on something new, especially when it’s a creative endeavor because you’re putting yourself and what you create out into the world. Take it from me, as someone who, a year ago, was nervous about it and not totally sure what I was doing, when I say that it’s scarier to think about not making the most of your time and giving life to your aspirations while there’s time. You’ll be surprised by how it brightens your days, connects you more with the people who lift you up, and fuels what you do.
I’m going to leave you with a quick thank you, dear reader, since you’re here and a part of my journey as a blogger. I hope you’ve read words of mine that have resonated with you or helped you in your own writing life. And I hope you know just how much I appreciate you giving me your time and attention, both of which are invaluable.
Thank you for reading, thank you for being around, and I’ll catch you back here next week!