[thenightwriterblog] The Night Writer: The Terrible Twos

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Posted by The Night Writer:
The Terrible Twos 
http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1171601311.shtml


   There were a lot of things I didn't know about blogging when I started
   out two years ago today. I didn't know how long I could keep it up,
   what I would write about, what my "voice" would be, if anyone would
   ever come by to read this and, if so, if they'd ever come back.
   Today, I still don't know how long I'll keep this up or what I'm going
   to write about next week. I do know that people come here, and in
   gradually increasing numbers -- but I'm not sure what topic or style
   explains the attraction. As to my voice, Craig Westover told me at my
   first trip to Keegan's that it takes a little while to find it; two
   years in and most of the time I still feel as if I'm just clearing my
   throat, careening from topic to topic with apparent (to me)
   randomness. I read somewhere that if you want to grow your readership
   you have to find a niche and pound it. I don't know, sounds kind of
   boring to me.
   Not that I don't want readers, mind you. I know some bloggers make it
   a point of fierce pride that they don't care how many readers they
   get, or they stopped looking at the Site Meter ages ago. Not me.
   There's not much in the way of compensation for running a blog, and
   the number of daily unique visitors is one of the easiest ways to get
   a little affirmation in order to keep the juices flowing. I blog
   mainly to keep the writing gears lubricated and because I've come to
   enjoy the daily hunt for a topic and the puzzle-solving aspect of
   fashioning a post from an idea that has occurred to me or from an
   issue that stimulates me. I've made it a point of discipline to try to
   average at least a post a day here and frankly there are days that I
   wouldn't even try to rise to the challenge except I hate the thought
   of someone making a point of coming here and there not being something
   new to read.
   Some days I'll try to go for a laugh; other days I'll take a more
   serious approach (and I hope you can tell the difference). Other days
   I just stand back and let the Mall Diva or Tiger Lilly do their thing,
   and they've brought their own following, based on the increase in
   traffic since they started (to boost traffic, add young women -- who
   knew?).
   Anyway, I'm going to keep blogging for now, and checking the Site
   Meter a couple of times a day. Comments and links are even more
   "affirming" than traffic, but this isn't the type of blog that seems
   to attract a lot of either, unless one of the girls is posting. Oh
   well, at least it's not holding me back from my daily routine!
   I know I see certain locations and ISPs over and over, so I'll tell
   you what: if you're a regular reader but one who has seldom or never
   commented here, and you want to offer a Blogiversary present, please
   leave a comment below. It doesn't have to be fancy or effusive, but
   let me know you're out there, and maybe say how you found this blog in
   the first place and/or what topic or expectation brings you back. Come
   on, I put hundreds of words a day here, you can at least spare me a
   dozen! (Ooops, sorry, didn't mean to sound like MPR in the middle of
   pledge week there).