It’s the one year anniversary of Writing Elves!

Yes, I’m pretty excited.

I started this blog as a way to force myself to write each week. I asked some blogging friends for advice and sort of just jumped into the game. It started out a bit slow, but eventually I fell into a routine and now, looking back, I’ve learned a lot. Granted, I still have a long way to go. I’m still amazed at some of the blogs that I follow and can’t quite figure out how they do some of the cooler WordPress tricks. Maybe I’ll learn one day. But until then, here’s a list of everything I’ve learned over this past year – my first year – of blogging. I am by no means an authority on the subject, by the way. These are just my own personal reflections:

1. Pictures make things better.

2. So do GIFs.

3. Be consistent.

4. Add links. I didn’t realize that until somewhere around October.

5. Change is good. I switched the format at least three times this past year and didn’t lose any followers.

6. Follow cool bloggers to learn what they do well.

7. Read sucky bloggers so you can feel good about yourself.

8. It’s true that every minute spent on your blog is a minute not spent on your novel, or your short story, or your (insert current creative project here). But I actually found that keeping a blog that is separate  from anything else I am working on actually gets me working harder. Not sure why. Maybe it’s just the break in routine.

9. Don’t obsess over the stats. They are fleeting. I had one day that got over 2,700 views, followed by a pretty silent day. It’s a depressing graphic, but that’s all it is. And from what I’ve seen, it’s a pretty common phenomenon in the blogosphere.

10. Write even if you think no one will read it or even if you think people will hate it. I like that this is my little corner of the internet and even though it’s completely out there in the world, it’s all mine. Haters gonna hate. Nothing you can do about it. They don’t have to stop by if they don’t want to.

It’s been a fun year for me. Thanks for reading and giving me feedback. And I hope those of you who follow Writing Elves will continue into the next year.