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| Look for more of my new (yet still minimal) photography skills in Year Three! |
It’s been exactly two years since my first blog post. It started while on a mini-vacation with my
husband’s family when I was four months pregnant. Perched high on a cliff
overlooking the Pacific Ocean, I sat protected by the enormous windows of the
rental house, in awe of the waves, wind and rain that thrashed the world outside.
I knew the Power that created that amazing spectacle was the same one that
had changed my life and brought me to that moment.
And I began to write.
To my surprise, my desire to write had not dwindled by my first blogiversary. Year One was
slow with lots of learning and pauses in my writing. I became a mommy that
year, and it took a herd of wild horses and their armies to drag my attention
away from Quinn. Even so, I managed to eek out 100 posts in my first year. In
fact, I published my 100th post exactly on October 25, 2011.
Inspired by everything I’d learned about writing, blogging,
parenting and life, I picked up momentum in Year Two. By some coincidence,
today is exactly my 300th blog post. That just
seems really cool to me.
So what can you expect from A Wide Line in Year Three? Here’s what’s bouncing
around in my noggin.
First, I’m changing my URL. This funky URL that makes no sense to most people will change to “awideline(dot)com”
as soon as I can figure out how without breaking the whole damn thing. I bought
the new domain, I just don’t know how to make the transition. Blogger has a
field where I can just type in the new domain, but that seems too easy. Will
all the URLs of my old posts automatically switch? Will I have to go back and
change the links in all 300 of my posts? Will the old URL redirect to the new
one? Hmm, I’ll investigate and keep you posted.
Second, I want a new design. An awesome designer created my current design a while back, and I get a lot of compliments
on it. I like how it doesn’t look like a traditional Blogger blog, and it’s
just… pretty. But I’m toying with ideas for a design that is a little bolder
and ties in the “wide line” metaphor
a bit more. We’ll have to see what the 2013 budget looks like, but this is
definitely on my wish list.
Several experienced bloggers have advised me to switch to Wordpress when I make these
changes. It’s almost like iPhone vs. Android. Wordpress (iPhone) people keep
telling me all the wonderful things I could do if I switched and how easy it
would be. All that sounds great, but I can do all those same things in Blogger
(Android), and I can do it for free and without downloading a bazillion
plug-ins. I’m not saying I’ll never switch, but right now I just don’t have a
compelling reason.
Third, I’m going to incorporate what I learned at my first blogging conference. I may
or may not try to monetize this blog – I’m still undecided. But even if I don’t,
when people (i.e., potential clients or employers) Google my name, this blog is
first result that pops up. (That’s how our stolen diaper bag got returned to us so easily!) Even though this is definitely
a personal blog, it’s still public. I have no plans to change my writing voice
or style, and I will remain true to who I am. But I will put more effort and
purpose into each post in the hopes that it results in better, more thoughtful writing.
Finally, I’m adding more facets to my content. I’m getting into
cooking and home projects a little more (Pinterest
bears 100% of the blame for this), and I will continue to share the
results with you. I’ve also been struggling with and inspired by fashion lately,
so I’m going to write about that, too. These won’t be scheduled posts that
appear on the same day every week, just when inspiration
strikes.
All this stems from my need to create. That need has always existed,
but now it’s a force that’s worked its way from the back of my mind to the
middle of my chest. That need has turned into a must. Whether it’s a new recipe, a home décor project, a new outfit
or a fresh blog design, I must create
to feel whole, to once again feel pride in what I’m able to accomplish.
There you have it, my
lofty goals for Year Three. Big thanks to all of you for making blogging so
enjoyable. Thank you for your words and wisdom, your laughs and sarcasm, and
your commiseration and encouragement. We are a fabulous little community of
conspirators that grows a little bigger and stronger every year.
