3 years a blogger.

I’ve been writing on this blog for that long and to be honest, this fact completely slipped my mind until Monday, the 22nd! I’d actually planned a two-week Twitter break from the 16th of May and had to come back sheepishly yesterday, because, hello! Blog anniversary, people!

So, as with any last-minute posts, I had absolutely no idea what to talk about today. I’d already done 7 lessons from the first year of blogging. For year 2, I did a round up of highlights from the year gone by as well as bloggers I enjoyed reading.

Then, I was chatting with a couple of friends.The first one, as always, whooped with joy and said, ‘You’ve brought it a long way. All well-deserved accolades.’

Another friend read my posts and conveyed how she loved my writing- the simplicity. That warmed my heart so much, I have no words to express my joy.

I’ve written 390 posts in the last 3 years. That’s an average of 130 posts per year. Of course, throw in two month-long marathons, so that number is not a reliable average. But it’s telling. I’ve actually hardly had any issues coming up with subjects to write about.

What I truly, absolutely enjoyed was dabbling in flash and micro fiction. I’ve been meaning to write a detailed post on how to write micro fiction, so that will come out next week, if you’re interested.

One thing I’ve heard many bloggers talk about is how they run out of ideas when it comes to blogging.  That’s when the idea for today’s post came about.

Today, I’m combining two concepts: Listing some of the posts I enjoyed writing in the last year and also telling you how I came up with the idea for those posts. I’ve learnt plenty from fellow bloggers who shared ideas freely and readily and this is my way of giving back.

Read books/articles/blog posts

I read a lot. Ideally, I’d love to read as many books as I can but today I find myself striking a balance between online and offline reading and am finally at peace. Since I also blog, it helps that my reading is helped along by contemporary writing. One of the first things I did last year was sign up for an account with Pocket. The app is so wonderful, I cannot stop singing its praises. Once you save enough articles, the app automatically recommends long or quick reads for you based on usage history. It’s splendid!

Over the last year, some topics which caught my fancy were the idea of more sleep, better fitness, sensible productivity and mindfulness.

Posts I wrote around those topics include:

File away anecdotes

We are a very interesting species, the human race. There’s so much we encounter on a day-to-day basis that writing fodder is practically staring us in the face.

What I do is keep notes of interesting incidents which can then translate well into a blog post. For instance, the one about getting my passport photo taken was something I wrote the day it happened. Surprisingly, that struck a chord with so many people and it was also picked up to be featured on WordPress Discover’s Editor’s Picks! Who knew?!

Another was very easy to write because it was about one of the best online relationships I made.

Other ideas which I still have to write about? That time when bats entered my home or when my daughter taught a friend how to ride a skateboard or how I managed 30 days of a personal challenge with a lot of difficulty. Ideas are, literally, all around you. Keep your eyes and ears open at all times.

Write ‘How-To’ posts

If you’ve been blogging for a while now, you can share your ideas/tips and tricks with the blogging world. I love these kind of posts because they are simple to write and they come from personal experience. It’s also gratifying when people read the posts and let you know what worked for them and what didn’t. We should always be open to learning and nothing helps me do that better than the comments section on my blogs.

Posts I wrote around this theme include:

Use prompts/ Join Link ups

By far the simplest way forward for bloggers is to join a linky party centred around a theme of sorts. These link lists can run either weekly, fortnightly or monthly. Look for them on Twitter or join a blogging group that will source these out.

If you love prompts, the way I do, there are so many of them on the internet! The ones I highly recommend are the ones from Yeah Write, the best writing site on the net, or these from Daily Post on WordPress.

Yeah Write awards badges based on crowd votes and editor’s picks and I’m super thrilled to share this page with you. It’s my space of joy in the online world: Yeah Write Honours

My latest piece for them was Desertion: A Micro Fiction

Hope this has been helpful for you. If you’ve been reading my blog, I thank you for your kindness and warmth. Have you just come across my blog? Welcome and I hope you’ll be back for more.

Do you have any more ideas to add to this list? Let me know in the comments.

I’d be glad to include them with due credit to you.

Thank you for reading and thank you for making this blogging journey fun, worthwhile and memorable.

 

43 thoughts on “3 years a blogger and a writer: My Blog Anniversary”

  2. Congrats, Shai!
    I feel like I’ve been reading you a lot longer than three years! 😀
    Excellent tips – especially the first one about reading. When I first started blogging, I used to write only anecdotes, but I stopped cos at the time there wasn’t much of an audience. I still think about going back to it, but I keep thinking if it would add anything to the blogosphere.
    Do share more linkups! They’re so useful! 🙂

  4. Thank you, Sanch, for that lovely endorsement 🙂 Here’s to many more years of writing on this journey for both of us.

  6. Ever so grateful that we met, Shilpa. I’ve made more friends through blogging than I’d ever thought possible and such close friends that it’s incredible 🙂

    As for Yeahwrite, the love letters have stopped now because they have changed their format, unless you become a subscriber. It’s still a great site because if you do get the editor’s pick you get fabulous feedback. The con-crit badge is a good thing to add, so you can get comments on the post itself.

    Will tag you on the micro-fiction piece when it is up 🙂

  8. Congrats on the anniversary, Shailaja. I know I’m late 🙂

    Wish you more and more success so that we, your readers, get to read more from you.

  9. Hey, am a bit late, but, congratulations for your 3rd blogversary! Keep going, girl!
    You know, just from reading this post of yours, I learnt so much! There are times when I have no topics to write about. I did visit the Daily Post for prompts, but did not give it a serious try. Guess I need to do that now. Also, I need to revisit Yeah Write.I admit, I did find it a tad intimidating what with the ‘love letters’ and all. But, I ought to treat it like a challenge and work accordingly. Finally, yes, I would love to have a post by you on micro-fiction. I am not so much into fiction, but would love to try attempting it, nevertheless.
    SO glad we met, no? 🙂
    <3

  11. Aww thanks Dashy! I try to be consistent because I really love my blog and the readers too. Do what you can and when you can 🙂

  12. Congratulations on completing three years! 390 posts is no small feat, it just made me reflect on how time flies! I haven’t been very consistent with my blog and have missed both my blogversaries. :p Anyway, wishing you plenty more years of successful writing and blogging! <3

  13. It’s wonderful to have ideas flowing all the time. I used to be that way once upon a time. Need to find that person 🙂 It’s not easy to blog on so many varied topics but you do it well. Congratulations on this milestone and knowing you, there will be surely many more. Wish you all the very best!

  14. I’ve noticed that about your posts, Parul 🙂 They are always so full of warmth and authenticity. It’s a pleasure to read them. Ah yes, the photo bloggers are definitely lucky. Forgot about those 🙂

    Thanks for all the love 🙂

  15. Hi Veidehi! Thank you so much for reading, stopping by to leave a comment. I really appreciate it 🙂 I am so glad you found this helpful. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions, any time.

  17. You are my lobster, Soumya 🙂 And I know you’ll get the reference. Thank you so much for everything and for being you.

    Love always.

  18. Thanks Sid ! As for the number, you know that most of those are micro fiction so yeah.

    So true about ideas coming up from somewhere. That’s all we need.

  19. Aww thanks Sheethal 🙂 That makes my heart smile!

    As for the laziness, I completely get you. I feel that way too on some days! What I try to do is make time to blog come what may. Keep a simple goal, once a week, to start. See how that works out.

  20. Congrats Shailaja 🙂 I’m a beginner and all the points you listed will definitely help me scale up 🙂 Cheers to your wonderful 3 years!

  21. Congratulations on your third blogoversary, Shailaja. Love this space especially your flash fiction and am looking forward to your post on how to write micro fiction! 🙂

  22. Ha ha, it actually isn’t that huge. Considering a lot of that number is flash and micro fiction which don’t take me long to write 🙂 But thank you so much for the lovely words and encouragement. It’s what keeps me going.

  24. Ha ha, it’s been nearly 10 years on the other blog, so it probably feels that way 😉 But yes, I can’t believe it’s only been 3 years on this one! I’ve just enjoyed blogging so so much that I’d find myself like a rudderless ship without it.

    You know I am always learning and growing, so please don’t tell me about you being a noob on social media. You’re fine the way you are. HUGS and big ones for always being around.

  25. Congrats Shy! This is only the beginning. We have at least 300 more years to go 😛

    I love all your posts, there is no denying that. Your suggestions, anecdotes and life stories strike the right chord. All the time. That’s why I always come back for more.

    Lots of love and best wishes.

  26. 50 prompts! Wow, girl, you are on fire 😀

    All the best and yes, keep blogging and writing. We need more of you online.

    Thank you for all the wishes and goodness. You are so sweet, always!

  28. Aww thanks Lata 🙂 I think we are all moving on this path together 🙂 It just has different milestones for each of us.

  29. Thank you! I was a bit wary about how this post would come out, simply because I didn’t want it to sound like a tom-tomming of ‘blog posts’. I strive hard to ensure that the writing has something for the reader to take away than just being ‘Me, me, me’. It’s a process I am working on 🙂 Thrilled I came across your blog too, Suchi. Your write-ups are always thoughtful, evocative and make me ponder.

  31. Congratulations on the milestone, Shailaja. Quite an impressive number of posts too 🙂
    As for the topic suggestions, I hear you – many a time, I’ve been quite stuck with what to write on. But then mostly the idea just comes up from somewhere.
    Good luck, and I’m sure many bloggers will find your suggestions useful

  32. Congratulatios on the wonderful journey. You’re one person I admire dearly. Keep going. ?

    In last few weeks there had been some topics I wanted to write from some prompts but couldn’t write and publish before the Linky closed. And that made me more lazy. So I understood that it’s not about not having enough topics but my inability in managing my time. Have to work towards that.

  33. 390 is a huge number Shailja. I am reading your Blogs from past 1 year now and find them helpful. I read about Yeah write multiple times but I think now its perfect time to join them. Thanks again for offering great reads on this huge web space. Congratulations. Wish you more success.

  34. Congratulations and I’m so so happy for you dear Shailaja <3. I agree that the topics and inspiration are all around us, but it isn't everyone who can capture them in a blog post as beautifully as you can :). Ask me ;). Here's to many more milestones, for the blog and in life as well.

  35. Congratulations. It seems much longer than just three years, isn’t it? Perhaps because you are so prolific. It’s been quite a journey! I don’t need to say that I love the warmth and wisdom in your posts. I’ve carried away many tips from here – specially ones related to social media which remains my Achilles heel, but you know that already. It’s been a fun journey and I hope you are always around. Hugs.

  36. Thank you, Shantala 🙂 Your book reviews are actually an excellent format to follow in terms of post ideas. I see so many leaping out at me when I read them. The voice you have in unique, so use that to your advantage when you write any post.

  37. Congratulations Shailaja! ❤?

    I too love your simplistic way of explaining concepts. Too much jargon and using too many words just makes the reader feel inferior and sends the reader running in search of a dictionary!

    I agree with the writing prompts too. Just yesterday I compiled a list of 50 prompts from all over the internet, and plan to use them to get over my #AtoZChallenge hangover 😀

    Wishing you many many many years of happy blogging ? Keep smiling, keep writing ?

  40. Congrats on the three year anniversary. I’ve been on this space for long and I love reading your posts. They are genuine and always strike a chord.
    When it comes to blogging, luckily I too haven’t fallen short of ideas. I love writing about life’s reflections and then picture posts. My favourite are personal stories ? There are a lot of prompt based tags for those interested in photography. Daily Post and Yeah Write work for me too ?

  41. What a great anniversary post. Congratulations!! I loved the note about anecdotes. I keep a mental note of things after they happen but then, obviously forget them so there’s that. Good idea to write them down. I love this post too because it is so apt and yet keeps up with the general tone of the kinds of pieces you write. I am so glad I discovered you and your awesome blogs via Blog-a-Rhythm. Two thumbs for virtual friendships!

  42. Congratulations on the 3-year anniversary and the varied writing that you do. Wish you the best and many more years of writing.

  43. Many congratulations on the blog anniversary. This is such an inspiring post. I am guilty of not noting down anecdotes. I sometimes share them on whatsapp with mom and dad, but that’s about it. I am working on getting better though. So someday..hopefully soon..

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