Friday 29 October 2010

My Birthday Blog - One Year Old Today

Well, here is is.  365 posts later, and I'm now a year old blogger.  It's been an interesting journey, and one that I'm not sure I've got the hang of yet.  

The Follower button doesn't work properly, for example, so despite blogging every day it shows up on other blogs as not having blogged for about 10 months.  The only good thing is the blog that it seems to have stopped on was called Writing about Writing about Sex, so a surprising number of people do click through to investigate.  If anyone knows how to fix this, please let me know. 

But the techie stuff aside, it's been interesting to have to think up something to say about writing in about 300-500 words every day.  Sometimes I'm bursting with ideas and have a mega list, other times I'm staring at a blank page.  A few times I've been burning to write something, but have decided it would breach confidentiality so toned it down to protect the guilty - and then decided it's too wishy washy and so deleted the lot.  

Overall it's made me realise how writing - doing, thinking, reading - is central to my life.  I don't much else, which I'm sure makes me pretty boring to most people on the planet.  Take me to the cinema, and afterwards I'm blathering on about character arc and motivation rather than whether Leonardo di Caprio is fanciable or not.  Go round an art exhibition with me, and I'm searching for narrative in the paintings.  (I have been told this is particularly annoying, but sorry, I can't help it.)

Perhaps some time over the next year I'll run out of steam, and go off and do something else.  Until then, happy writing everyone.

19 comments:

Sean Z P Harris said...

Happy blog birthday, my dear!

For what it's worth, your blog is the first thing I read each day on the entire internets.

Long may it continue!

Lizzie said...

Happy Birthday, Sarah.

Like Sean Z P Harris, yours is the first blog I read in the mornings. And it's certainly helped me in my writing.

By the way, still waiting to hear from the agent you introduced me to at the RNA Summer Party!

David said...

Happy first blog birthday Sarah!

I've picked up so much about writing from your blog and your enthusiasm for it is really infectious so here's to the terrible twos!

David

Claire McComisky said...

Happy Blog Birthday!

I rediscovered my love for writing about 10 months ago and for me your blog has given me inspiration, enthusiasm and confidence. Thankyou.

Dan Purdue said...

Happy Blogday, Sarah. Blogiversary? Whatever it is, have a good one.

I'm a recent follower and I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who's Follower widget is stuck on your post about writing about sex. I thought it was something I'd done wrong. Still, as you say, it's an enticing link.

I'm also glad I'm not the only one who squints at paintings in search of the story.

Ann Patey said...

Love your blogs and read them every single day. Hope you continue x

Julie Cohen said...

Happy blog birthday! We're all glad you decided to take the plunge a year ago. Long may you continue!

Anonymous said...

Love your blog. Read it every morning. Looking forward to Year 2. Congratulations.

Sarah Duncan said...

Hey,where's the champagne and chocolates? Oh well, will just have to have them on my own.

Seriously, thanks for all those nice comments, it's been fun! Though I haven't got a clue about what I'm going to post tomorrow...

Liz Fielding said...

Many happy returns, Sarah. I mean that. I subscribe to your blog by email - which means I never miss anything - and am always enlivened, entertained and educated.

Deborah Carr (Debs) said...

Happy belated blog birthday and here's to another year of interesting posts.

I thought I'd done something wrong on my blog list when your blog got stuck at the Writing Sex post, so I'm glad it wasn't me.

Anonymous said...

Hi Sarah

Just to say that I really enjoy reading your blog every day; glad you've made it to the end of year 1as a blogger - keep going!

Nikki x

Sarah Duncan said...

Thanks all, and sorry about the stuck at sex situation - I've tried to sort it out, techie friends have tried, but to no avail so far. Seems a glitch in the system.

Sarah Duncan said...

Lizzie - Hope you're sending out to other agents and not just relying on that one. The more you have out there, the more chance of your ms landing on the right desk at the right time.

Kath McGurl said...

Happy Blog Birthday! Sending virtual champagne and chocs. I only discovered your blog a few weeks ago but it's quickly become one of my favourites - please keep it up!

Jo said...

Belated Happy First Blog Birthday! I'm just catching up on the blogs of yours I missed while on holiday for a week. Your blog is the first 'writerly' thing I read every day, as I find it fires me up for other 'writerly' things and hopefully, actually writing! It's one of the best blogs on writing I've read and not too long and tedious.

I'm also trying to update my blog most days now, as a bit of a warm up exercise for the novel!

Thank you for all the inspiration!

Sarah Duncan said...

Thanks Jo, hope the novel is going well. Did you get the Goethe quote I sent you?

badas2010 said...

A belated Many Happies from me.
I too only discovered you a short while ago and I check up on you every time I switch on.
Due to circumstances I'm not on every day but I catch up a week or so at a time, and I'm always interested in what you write. I really admire your ability to write something interesting every day, your discipline is outstanding and a lesson to us all.
Thanks a million.

Sarah Duncan said...

As I settle down to watch the telly with a large glass of chilled white I shall remind myself that my discipline is outstanding...it really isn't, you know, just I'd rather be blogging than doing housework. But thank you for thinking I was disciplined! And for your nice comments.