WordPress sent me a wrap up for 2013.
The report has animated fireworks graphics that shoot sparks to represent blog action. For those of you who follow my blog, you understand my WordPress fireworks are small but mighty and maybe closer to a small town July 4th festival and not the Macy’s fireworks extravaganza.
I wrote 12 posts last year, had over 1,200 views and uploaded 61 pictures.
What the cold data doesn’t show is how much heart, soul and liver I pour into each post.
The post I’m most proud of, and possibly the best thing I will ever write is Notice to Elected “Helpers” Everywhere. The post that gets the most consistent traffic is 8 Cringe-worthy Pick-Up Lines. The worldwide search rate for pick-up lines that cause cringing might explain why the marriage rate is dropping. Naked In The Shallow End cracks me up and I feel quite clever when I do Twitter polls. The latest is in Dear Congress, Have Another Drink!
Writing isn’t easy. Or maybe it would be easy if I wrote more often but I seem to have a problem with the first rule of writing: Ass in Chair!
Some of my distractions are more legitimate than others. 12 hours of high-stress work is like putting my brain in the dryer on high heat. My Muse comes out wrinkled and stained, covered in my dried and crusted creative juices. I might enjoy a drink after a long day and my liver is a team player, up-for-anything organ. My heart and soul are higher maintenance.
And my head turns for shiny things like travel or shopping or watching Episodes or taking a nap or going to the gym (Ha! Kidding! I don’t go to the gym!)
Writing is like exercising – the more you do, the better you feel when you do it. Sometimes, the words just flow no matter how undisciplined I’ve been. I suppose that’s the exercise equivalent to being a weekend warrior. Notice to Elected “Helpers” Everywhere flowed, and like the 40-year old sedentary dad who plays football with his High School friends once a year on Thanksgiving, I felt energized in the moment and then sore for days.
For a while, I was writing a lot and my Muse was fit enough to do the creative writing version of a Triple Salchow (take a moment to appreciate the Olympic reference – and spelling. Who knew?). I don’t write well at home, since my apartment is full of shiny things, so I carry my laptop to bars and bakeries with good drinks or cupcakes and most important, good writing vibes. Eventually I rewarded myself with the purchase of a MacBook Air. I’ve recently started carrying my laptop around again in hopes of recapturing my writing mojo. I rarely open it. I just carry it. I’m thinking of investing in a first generation, 10-pound laptop from 1990 so I at least get exercise benefit.
While I haven’t been a prolific blogger, I assure you that when it comes to research, I’m on it. In 2013, I drank margaritas in at least six states and two foreign countries. I ordered margaritas in Irish bars, Italian eateries and friend’s kitchens. I expanded the margagogo team adding a Brooklyn Editor and I launched a recruitment program for future margagogo leaders. My five and eight year-old nieces show great promise.
I would tell you I resolve to blog more in 2014 but I can’t tell you about my New Year’s Resolutions until April. If I’m still with them by then, they’re resolutions and not passing thoughts. I can tell you that I’m looking forward to a 2014 full of fireworks – both inside my blog and out. And I hope your year is full of fireworks too!
Stay tuned for more margagogo – chocolate & churros, great things about Twitter, lemons of life …
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