Ahem. Drum roll, please.
This marks my 200th post since starting my blog in 2013!
When I started this blog, I didn't have a clue about blogging
I thought it might be fun to revisit the top posts of each year from then to now. If you're newer to my blog, please do check them out. They're a lot of fun! And if you were around back in the day, do you remember these oldies but goodies?
MyTop Blog Posts
2013
Green Eggs and Ham: A Fresh Look at a Dark Book AND Coffee Chat with S.K. Anthony
There were two top posts that first year, and they just happen to be two of my own favorites! The Green Eggs and Ham post was actually written by my Number Two Son, Jeff, then eighteen (he's now twenty-three and just got married last month). His "I don't know what to write" for a school essay tied with the original, very first, one-that-started-it-all Coffee Chat for the number one spot. This first Coffee Chat was special and fun, and in fact was so much fun that my readers asked for more, and CC became a regular feature for a total of twenty-nine posts full of ridiculousness, suspension of disbelief, and even good advice at times.2014
Coffee Chat 8.0 with S.K. Anthony: The Kidnapping of Janie Junebug
The number of blog visitors multiplied during 2014. Some of that was because we organized a huge giveaway, Share the Love, where four authors and I did the Rafflecopter thing. They gave away books, and I gave away an editing package. There was also talk of such dodgy prizes as an empty Thin Mints cookie box, "Pong" (the original video game), and a picture of David Hasselhoff holding an armload of puppies, but at the last minute, the authors involved decided to keep those special extras and only send books to the winners. That was also the year I first participated in the April A to Z Challenge, hopping all over the globe to other people's blogs while posting twenty-six times in April. However, those things aside, the real top spot went to Janie Junebug (who can be found at Righting & Editing). During one of the coldest winters in Erie, S.K. decided to kidnap a guest from Florida to "bring sunshine" to my kitchen. I'm pretty sure Janie has never really recovered.2015
Well . . . the interesting thing about 2015 is that I didn't blog at all. Not a single word. And it just about killed me. Just as my blog was gaining all kinds of momentum, I had a job switcheroo happen (not quite my choice, and not a bad job, but just super busy on top of homeschooling) and by the end of 2014, I had to acknowledge that there was just no time to write for a while. In October of that year, I announced I was in need of a short break. And truly, it was intended to be only a few months off—just enough time to settle into a better routine and get my bearings—but a few months turned into a few more, and when I finally got to the point where I simply HAD to write, it was almost fifteen months later. But here's the cool thing. My post about taking a break ended up with tons of hits on it because some of you wonderful people kept checking in on me here and there. And I'm so glad you all didn't give up on me.
2016
Editor's Notes #23: Points of View Part 1—How Do I Choose?
Actually, all three parts of the POV series vied for the most-visited of 2016. Part 1 discussed the first-person POV, Part 2 talked about third-person point of view and the role of the narrator & viewpoint person, and Part 3 focused on how many points of view is enough, and when the line of "too many" has been crossed.
2017
Do I Have to Love a Genre to Edit It?
Reading for editing purposes is vastly different from pleasure reading. Whether I enjoy the heck out of a manuscript or not, the job still needs to be done well, because that's what I was hired to do. This post about the balance between enjoyment and duty ended up being the top post for 2017.
2018
Happy New Year!
Funny that a post on January 4 that talked about my previous year and the complete reboot halfway through it would be the most popular post of 2018, but there you go. The numbers don't lie. I think sometimes it's just nice to have a conversation with my readers, rather than trying to teach or inform, and I guess everyone else thought so, too. A close second was the first of my three-part series on Best Books on Writing and Editing, still worth taking a look at for the book recommendations.
2019
Editors: We Are Not the Grammar Police!
We're not very far into 2019, so there weren't many posts to choose from, but this particular one definitely wins for most views in 2019. Editors have such a reputation for negativity and pedantic behavior that every so often, it's important to remind others that we really aren't anything like the stereotype.
So What's Coming Up Next?
The Future of This Blog
It's only fitting that my 200th post will be my last "real" post here on Blogger. I've decided, after much thought, wasted time (I'm a slow thinker), and a hard look at the analytics that it's time to move my blog to another platform. My website is on Squarespace, and given that Google has shut down an avenue (Google+) that was a social media failure overall but that made it easy to follow Blogger blogs, I think it's best that I make the change sooner than later.
I hope you'll all make the move with me, of course. The commenting on Squarespace is through Disqus, and you don't have to create an account anywhere to comment or use it—you can log in through Facebook, Twitter, Google, Disqus, or simply comment as a guest. I'm hoping this will simplify commenting, as I've heard from a handful of people that they've experienced trouble commenting on this blog more often than not.
So thanks for following along this far! And come to the new blog at https://easyreaderediting.com/blog so I don't miss out on catching up with any of you there.
Hi Lynda - you know ... I really don't like Squarespace ... and commenting I've always found difficult - but I'm sure I'll make it over. Cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteInteresting, Hilary. I hope you do still visit. From what I understand, Squarespace's default comment feature isn't as good as Disqus, which is why I added Disqus to my site. It gives all the same sign-in options as this blog does, so technically it should be less hassle. Time will tell!
DeleteCongratulations on you 200th post!!!!!!
ReplyDelete*happy dancing*
I loved every minute of your blog over the past years AND I know I'm going to absolutely love everything that's to come! Now, I have to set aside some coffee time to click on the above links, as I was I reading your top posts, I was nodding my head furiously . . . and laughing with the memory of how great they are. #ooh
See you on the other side!!! :D
I had so much fun rereading some of the winning posts! I felt like we were right back there in the kitchen with a boot-wearing pig, a donkey, scones, kilts, you doing my laundry, and everything else.
Delete#ooh has served us well! See you "over there!"
"I'm also still dying."
Delete#A18 & #A19
DeleteAnd of course #Sisterhood
<3
Bon Voyage easyreadingediting blog. I will check out your sister.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Heidi! I've published one post there as a welcome, and my first official one there will be in two weeks.
DeleteHmmm. I'm likely missing something but I didn't see a way to sign in to the new blog without using facebook, twittter, or disqus. Where is the guest link? The google link makes me sign up for Disqus and check multi-boxes saying they can share my data. Heidi
ReplyDeleteHmm indeed. I double-checked my settings to ensure that I have guest commenting enabled. When you type in your name, there should be a box underneath the sign-in area that you can check with "I'd rather post as a guest." If that's not showing, I'm not sure what else to try.
DeleteThanks for bringing it to my attention! I'll keep an eye out for it if someone else has issues.
I had my hubby go there since he doesn't have a Disqus account. If you click on the Disqus area, the "I'd rather post as a guest" is right there at the bottom. It doesn't show until you click, though. I may need to mention that in the comment policy to eliminate confusion.
DeleteI should be fine; I've had a Disqus account for a long time now to visit Caleb Pirtle's site.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your 200th post - I'm off to bookmark the new site.
Thanks so much! I'm excited to have a new look and of course have a lot of new content always rolling around my brain.
DeleteI am glad you have decided to change. I have had commenting issues before but never mentioned it .And of course I will still follow you .Cheers of number 200
ReplyDeleteThanks for the support! My comment numbers have declined greatly over the past months, and a handful of people have mentioned having issues here. There was a six-month period last year when I wasn't notified at all when anyone commented, and I had to keep checking here every day to see if someone needed a reply. It was really frustrating because Blogger didn't do anything about it, though I know it was happening on a few blogs I followed.
DeleteI'm just happy to have everything in one place. This blog will stay up, but all new content will be on the other site now. Hooray!
I hope I can make this transition relatively trouble-free. But congratulations on 200 posts.
ReplyDelete"Reading for editing purposes is vastly different from pleasure reading. Whether I enjoy the heck out of a manuscript or not, the job still needs to be done well, because that's what I was hired to do." Reminds me of the early 1980s when I worked off-and-on as a club deejay. I had to spend $2 each for 45s like Hall & Oates' "Maneater" instead of spending it on an oldies reissue 45!
I can't imagine not seeing you here, actually. You're one of the people who's been here since almost the beginning. And thank you! I am curious as to how many posts you have, since you're such a steady writer.
DeleteYou have my condolences on having to buy "Maneater" under any circumstances. I saw Hall & Oates in concert in the early 80s, in fact—they and ELO were touring together—and loved the show but still hated that song.
Hall & Oates with ELO? That's like Jimi Hendrix opening for the Monkees!
ReplyDeleteOh, wait. That actually happened.
There've been 728 published posts on The Lair of the Silver Fox and 169 posts on its predecessor, David'Z RantZ! So that's 897 total, plus a couple of dozen posts (also called David'Z RantZ) on a site called Diaryland.com. Howzat?
I would have LOVED to see Hendrix and the Monkees! And ELO pretty much stole the show, in my opinion. My first two years of college were in Pittsburgh, so I was within walking distance of the Civic Arena where all the larger concerts were. My hubby and I discovered we'd been to the same Genesis concert, years before we'd ever met.
DeleteYou are well on your way to 1000 posts! I'm impressed and then some.