A long-expected party

Tuesday is True-Story’s birthday, marking one year since I posted my first blog post, Another book, another story. Anyway, ahem, this post is just my thank you speech.

All the one hundred and forty-four guests expected a pleasant feast; though they rather dreaded the after-dinner speech of their host (an inevitable item). He was liable to drag in bits of what he called poetry; and sometimes, after a glass or two, would allude to the absurd adventures of his mysterious journey.

Chapter One: A long-expected party. The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

Well, I’m afraid I can’t offer you a feast at this moment. But you may still hear the speech: I hope it proves enjoyable.

My dear People, began Bilbo, rising in his place.

Chapter One: A long-expected party. The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

According to Google Analytics, my first post has the second most page views. However, it probably is my most viewed post to date- I didn’t have anything counting the numbers when I posted it.

It’s a story about life, about my dad’s tradition of reading to us kids. (If anyone is wondering, since that post, we’ve read The Good Thieves by Katherine Rundell, have started Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, and struggled through half of a dud that will remain unnamed.) When I wrote it, I didn’t really have much clue what I was doing. I can’t say I was expecting the response it got.

You can imagine how blown away I was to hear everyone’s stories. I never knew so many people also read as a family, nor how many were interested in it. I didn’t expect so many people to read it, and I didn’t expect so many people to comment. Thanks to the re-sharing of it by my dad, my Aunty Kelly, my grandmother, and Australian children’s author Allison Tait (!), many people got to read it and talked about it.

I was stoked. I haven’t gotten that kind of response since then, but to have it happen because of my first blog post is pretty special.

Since then, my writing style has improved. I’ve come a little closer to finding my writing voice, and storytelling methods. I’ve gone on grand adventures. I have learned a lot since that first blog post.

Well, anyway. I have talked a bit about my blogging experience, and all it has lead to, in this post, so I won’t drag on about that too much. I do want to say a few things though.

Firstly, to my Aunty Kelly (who is the founder of the Be A Fun Mum blog)- thank you. Right from the start, Aunty Kelly has helped me with everything about this blog. To everyone who has complimented me on the site’s appearance: that was nearly all Aunty Kelly. She has helped me with the technical side of running a website, and all the odds and ends of WordPress. She has given me tips for writing blog posts. She has encouraged me with each post, and has been an overall amazing blogging mentor.

Secondly, to my parents. Thank you for helping me. Thank you for editing my posts, and answering my questions. Honestly, I’m not sure where I would be without them. This post wouldn’t have been finished if my dad hadn’t helped me to relax about it, and have fun writing it.

To all the rest of my family and friends. Thank you for reading my posts. Thank you for understanding when I spend ages staring in frustration at the keyboard. Thank you for encouraging me to keep doing it.

To the Young Writer’s Workshop (and all my YDubber friends)- thank you for motivating me to keep writing. Not only have I learned more about blogging since I’ve joined, but I have been continually motivated to keep writing. Thank you for the word sprints, and the writing encouragement.

The blogging journey hasn’t really been easy thus far. My motivation has flagged at points. Writer’s block has struck too many times. Especially lately, I haven’t had the time or mental energy to write.

If you’re on my email list (if not, you can sign up here) you would have heard how busy school has been keeping me, and how little time I have had to write lately. I’ve been feeling “all thin, sort of stretched, if you know what I mean: like butter that has been scraped over too much bread.” (once, again, a quote from today’s chapter of The Fellowship of the Ring).

I never thought I would say this, but I miss the Saturdays where I would wake up early to be dragged to parkrun. I wouldn’t be so eager for it, but I always felt amazing and energized once I came home after the run. It would be straight to the computer to blog. I loved that feeling. It was a really satisfying way to spend a Saturday.

Now, I’m often flat out exhausted by the end of the week. I use Saturdays as a chance to properly sleep in. I make plans to spend the afternoon blogging, or getting ahead with schoolwork, but each time, I reach the end of the day, and I haven’t done anything. The weekends have become lazy days for me.

I have been so busy. So preoccupied. So lazy. I have neglected this blog.

I have missed blogging.

I love sharing my thoughts. I love writing. I love hearing what you have to say in the comments (I’m getting better at replying to comments, so please don’t hesitate to leave them).

So I will keep blogging. Keep writing. Keep dreaming. Keep searching. Won’t you, too?

Here’s to a second year of True-Story. May it be a good one.

To end, I will not slip on a ring, but instead drag in a bit of what Bilbo and I call poetry:

The Road goes ever on and on

Down from the door where it began.

Now far ahead the Road has gone,

And I must follow, if I can,

Pursuing it with eager feet,

Until it joins some larger way

Where many paths and errands meet.

And whither then? I cannot say.

-Bilbo Baggins and J.R.R. Tolkien. Chapter One: A long-expected party. The Fellowship of the Ring.