In dog years, this blog would be forty-nine. In blog years? I’m positively ancient. Hard to believe though it is, this blog is today celebrating its seventh anniversary. Not bad for something I took on as a bit of a lark, especially when I’d previously never had so much as a diary of my own.
Today, my blog remains what I set it out to be: my personal, online notebook, where I scribble my idle thoughts down and challenge myself to put something something to paper (or, in this case, pixel) each day. The advice every writer gives to every aspiring writer is, if you want to write, write. Many writers have a notebook with which to scribble, but a blog appeals to the techno-geek inside me. And the audience encourages me to be on my best behaviour and challenges me to keep things interesting. In short, I wouldn’t be doing this were it not for you. I may not have the audience of the bigger blogs, but I have enough to keep things going, so thank you. You know who you are.
Back in 2002, I was only just acting on my initial desire to be a writer. Erin had just won the CBC Literary Award for a submission that would become her first published book of poetry, Ghost Maps. I’d just finished the first draft of Rosemary and Time (to be retitled The Unwritten Girl) and was waiting to hear back from my first publisher (the Delacourt Press Contest held by Random House). I was starting work on the sequel, Fathom Five.
I’m amazed at all of the changes that have occurred since then: several jobs have come and gone, and we have two daughters in our house now. We’ve had tragedy and great joy. It’s disturbing to think that, in three years time, this blog will celebrate its tenth anniversary and, two months afterward, I’ll be celebrating my fortieth birthday. And Vivian will be six. And yet, through all the changes we’ve made, here we are, still writing, still moving slowly and steadily into our careers where writing is a full-time endeavour.
I’m keeping my fingers crossed, but I think I’ve made the right choice.
So, here’s to the next three years until this blog’s tenth birthday. Fingers crossed, I think I’m going to make it.