As this month comes to a close, I celebrate ten years of writing this blog. A 10th anniversary gift is, traditionally, made of tin or aluminum. Tin and aluminum are often used to store things one wants to preserve which seems appropriate since written words preserve everything from ideas to memories.
I started the blog, not knowing what to expect of it or of myself. I read up on blog writing before I began and followed some useful advice. Some said to make a regular schedule, and I settled on Mondays and Fridays. They said to have several written ahead of time to prevent panic button writing, and I have nearly always done that with only an occasional Sunday or Thursday afternoon rush job. I didn’t know when I began how well I could stick to a twice a week schedule. I have missed twice – once on a trip to England with my sister Beth and once because the computer was down and out. A friend said to always include at least one picture, and finding those has been fun.
I have enjoyed the responses from my readers in this endeavor. Some of you have patterns as well. If Kat has not responded by midmorning, I worry that she may have a crisis going on. Althea, on the other hand, responds after I go to bed at night with her comment waiting for me the following morning. I have not always guessed which blogs would get the most response, and my readers don’t always have the same preference as each other. In one twenty-four hour period, I had one reader tell me he liked my book reviews the most and another who said he preferred my personal reflections.
Now for the change! I have decided to back away from my pattern. I am not abandoning the blog, just the twice a week that I’ve imposed on myself. I will add a post when I finish a good book or when I have something on my mind, but they will come when the notion strikes me which might or might not be on Monday and Friday. If you want to be sure you don’t miss one, there’s a place to subscribe at the bottom of each blog, and I will still be posting the link on Facebook. I hope to continue to see you here whichever day of the week the post is shared.