Writing

101 Posts, Oh My!

I try not to pay too much attention to my blog’s stats, because that would send me into an extended vacay in my head, which is akin to a week’s stay in a mental hospital catering to insecure neurotics. Why don’t the peoples love me? Why do only twelve people read my blog? You know the drill, especially you fellow smaller bloggers. It’s tough being an undiscovered genius.

However, for kicks I checked my site’s summary stats for 2012, and discovered positive news. The verdict? 101 posts in 2012! Basically, since I started in August. Not bad.

To celebrate, I bring you the crowd favorites of 2012.

Most viewed post: WTF, Bubonic Plague?

Sadly, this is partly mostly due to an overabundance of people googling “bubonic plague” (“It” also got a lot of hits). 

*Shudder*

Post that Got the Most Hits in a Single DayThirty, Flirty and Thriving. I Hate that I Just Used that Expression.

Apparently, many woman felt my confusion upon approaching a brand new decade of existence, and some even imparted their wisdom (“Honey, just wait till you hit 40!”).

Post with the Most Comments: Yesterday’s actually; Happiness, Thou Elusive Beast.

This is obviously due to my participation in the Yeah Write Challenge. You guys are made of amazing and I appreciate that you took time to read and comment. Bloggers love comments. 

Most Faithful Commenter: Erica Schatz, from Yeah, I’m a Nerd.

Thank you, Erica! Go read her blog right now! She’s adorable and funny.

Close Runner-Up Commenter: Lindsey Cole, from The House of Cole (she missed the #1 slot by just a few).

Thanks, my fellow sister-in-writing! Go read her blog, too! She has adventures of which I only dream.

The Cat Lady’s Favorite Post: A Giant Stuffed Cat: Want

Still my favorite. Nowhere to go but down from there, my friends. I peaked early.

The Verdict:

I stuck to a rigid schedule during the first few months of this blog’s life in 2012. I wanted to create something stable, a place that readers could count on and I could manage with a heap of discipline, so I posted five days a week, Sunday night through Thursday night, excluding holidays. This was a great way to get my writing-for-non-academic-purposes switch turned on, and I am baffled that I could keep up with this level of output. I have more gritty determination than I thought.

However, it is becoming too much.

I believe in quality over quantity, and to my detriment I’m finding far too many errors in past posts for my taste. Errors are so embarrassing to perfectionist-self-policing-grammar-Nazis like myself. Also, eh, I’m not too satisfied with the quality of my output. Ouch. It pains me to say it. Plus, it’s a lot. No one wants something delicious to taste like beans simply from overproduction. So, if you haven’t noticed, I’m slowing down. Savoring the process. Working on other projects that will only enhance this little corner of the Interwebs, and in conjunction, my soul. Cutting back to three postings a week. Whew.

2012 was a great year for writing. I took a huge chance; I was my quirky, sometimes obnoxious, imperfect, vulnerable self to a boatload of strangers, and I don’t regret it. I’ve made some relationships that are on par with those in real life. I’ve met people I respect and who enrich my life in ways too numerous to catalogue.

Now, onward. Thanks for embarking on this journey with me.

I promise, I won’t sink the boat.

However, if it capsizes due to angry giant squids, every man for himself.

 

18 Comments

  • Ericamos

    haha Yay!! It’s not often that I can say I’m #1. Also, what’s funny about this is that I was freaking out all day because I hadn’t yet commented on your post from yesterday. I just came on now to do so, and saw that you had a new post. So now, I’m commenting here instead of there, but comment there I will.

  • JestheMess

    If you need to take time for you, then you are the best judge of that. Savour everything (different to taste everything – don’t lick the walls!)

    I read them all the time, but don’t always (often) comment, because either someone already said it or I just feel stupid saying things.

    Did I just see a squid?

  • Chris Plumb

    Sad that I, a guy, was a part of your Thirty, Flirty…post infamy. Oh well, I’m comfortable in my manhood, and it’s not my fault that the majority of great bloggers are women like you (and the others who congregate here). At least your humor feels gender universal, and I can enjoy a piece where I am probably not the target audience.

    I just passed fifty posts. And while it takes some time to crank them out…it actually doesn’t feel like work (which is maybe the sign that we actually like writing). I think your new slow burn posting will pay off. I wasn’t able to keep up with all your blogs before, and now I see them and happily click.

    • Natalie the Singingfool

      I ALWAYS appreciate the male perspective, Chris! I don’t really write with an audience in mind. I only try not to hurt the people in my real life by TMI about them.
      And congrats on 50 posts! A milestone indeed. It doesn’t feel like work, does it? It’s fun – but it does take time that I don’t often have. This way, I’ll be able to spend more time producing work I can be proud of, not just a frazzled post to meet a deadline.

  • Lindsey

    Bah!! I missed #1! Oh well, if it’s got to go to someone else, I’m glad it went to Erica. You and she are my top commenters, too, and I adore you. And I have to say seeing my name on someone else’s blog makes me feel kinda famous 🙂

    I’m really glad you committed to, and then kicked ass in sticking to this blog. It’s a favorite of mine and I appreciate your consistency. (I could learn a thing or two from you with regards to that.) I’m also really glad you learned something about yourself from it and don’t begrudge you for scaling it back a little. It’s all a part of the journey that is becoming the writer you want to be.

    Write on 😉

  • Kate Hall

    I’m with you on the cutting back. Actually, I never got that high. I’ve never been able to churn out five posts a week. I think I did it twice. The rest of the time, 3-4. Then I market those like crazy. 🙂

  • Azara

    I’m slowing down too. Well, actually just returning to my normal slackerly ways after a brief burst of enthusiasm for NaBloPoMo in November. I actually stopped following a blog once because she posted too often. It might have been OK if she was on blogger and the posts just rolled by in my reading list.

    But she had e-mail subscription only, and my inbox started to fill up with a tidal wave of unread posts, and every time I saw them I felt all panicky and like a terrible, non-commenting follower until I couldn’t take it anymore and just stopped reading her blog altogether. Three to four posts a week is nice – gives people a chance to miss you (or at least not be overwhelmed by you).

    • Natalie the Singingfool

      Ooo, this is valuable input! Upon starting this, I never thought about “too much” – I just wrote everyday and posted whatever I wrote, except for the two days I gave myself off because the house doesn’t clean itself. Your observation is making me feel MUCH better about my decision, not to mention making me feel far less lazy.

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