Monday, September 13, 2010

Blog Birthday

I totally zipped passed it and forgot!  I started the Plum Bean on August 11, 2009.  Happy Extremely Belated Birthday!

I began writing having no idea how to write a blog.  How personal?  How truthful?  How much do I say about the book?  About my agent?  About my publisher?  About my life?  It was a gently roaming watermark.  And then, how to find other bloggers?  Do I just pop in and introduce myself with a comment? Is that presumptuous?  Do I leave a comment with no introduction?  Is that rude?  Do I invite them back to the Plum Bean for coffee and sandwiches?  No idea.  So, I lurked.  And lurked.

And then I gave up.  I stopped writing for weeks at a time.  I couldn't see the point.  It felt like marching outside and hurling random information at an uninterested night sky.  And so I decided to give it two more weeks and then call it quits.  And something happened.  That waiting finish line left me feeling like I could just pop by other blogs and say hello.  What did it matter if I got it wrong, as I had decided to leave the party anyway.

And I made a huge discovery: The natives were friendly!  The bloggers were sweet and welcoming and helpful and truthful and encouraging and fun and I was so very very happy to find them.  The watermark bloomed into a circle.  A sense of community grew.  

I want to say thank you: To the bloggers who are truly involved in my book and do stay for coffee and sandwiches--I hope they they know exactly who they are--and the more explosive sprite variety, the one stop shop sort of bloggers who pop in, charm, chat, and then go on their way.  Both are tremendously valued.  You have made this so much fun.  Thank you.

13 comments:

  1. Happy blog birthday! My little blog is almost two years old (but I kept it quiet for about 6 months... so which should I recognize?).

    paddle board? Does it involve water? If yes, I will cheer you from the sidelines! :) You guessed it - I don't like water all that much.

    ReplyDelete
  2. thank you! happy birthday to your blog as well! paddle boarding is standing up on a board with a paddle in water. as long as there are no waves--i love it!

    ReplyDelete
  3. priya i am so glad you stuck it out, because your blog is WONDERFUL! it is well written, interesting, personal, and informative. you have achieved the right balance, too, which is a feat in itself! plum bean inspired me to create my own blog - which has been in the stage of your third paragraph above, now, for some time. your online writing inspires me to keep at my own offline writing as well. so thank you !

    ReplyDelete
  4. Happy blogoversary, Priya! Hope you have many, many more. I'm glad you stuck it out with your blog! xXx

    ReplyDelete
  5. thank you ariel! you are the one who told me to just try it for two more weeks!

    leanna, you are so sweet! thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Happy blog birthday! I read somewhere that the typical life of a blog is 6 months, so to hit a year milestone is something. I hit mine in June and going on two. I love blogging, but like you I wondered what was the point for quite awhile. I didn't hit my stride until early this year. Still, it's only part of what I do as an author, and I have to set limits or it becomes a huge time suck.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Happy Blogiversary!! Amazing how the time flies..... :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. I adore birthdays, and blog birthdays are especially fun and uniquely satisfying - many happy returns to the Plum Bean! I am so happy you persevered, Priya, and so glad you started leaving calling cards, so that we might know where to find you. It's been a lovely party so far, so let's ring the bell and kindly request more sandwiches.

    ReplyDelete
  9. karen g, i so admire you for setting limits! it is a big challenge for me!

    jo, it really does. thank you!

    doctordi, you are such a sweetie. i am always so happy when i see your name pop up in the comments!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hoo-ray! Happy Blog Birthday!

    I'm glad you stuck around...

    :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. You are almost as bad as I am--there are years when I nearly forget my real birthday, and I frequently forget my age. Okay, that last part might be a little bit deliberate! So happy belated blog birthday, and can't wait for February when I can see Exit the Actress!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Better late than never so here goes

    Bonne Fetes a la BLOG... Bonne Fete a La Blog!

    Time flies and it just keeps getting better :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. kate, me too!

    lisa, you are going to see exit the actress much sooner than that! spoke to my publicist and she is sending you an early finished copy to review!

    aisle b, merci beaucoup!

    ReplyDelete

Please feel free to leave a comment! I would love to hear from you!