What has Blogging Taught Me?

As I am inching closer to  the first anniversary of  my  blog (in the third week of March), I am overcome with nostalgia. Last year, around this time, two of my closest writing friends: Lia Keyes and Elizabeth Varadan, both of whom I had met online, had spent the better part of  January and February in  trying to convince me to start blogging.     

          

All my arguments were brushed aside by the two determined ladies. “What will I blog about?” I  had asked them. “You will find the topics they assured me.” “I won’t be good at it?” I had argued. “You will,” they said firmly. They even helped me select the  name  from the list I sent them, so that I did not procrastinate with the excuse that I was  unable to come up with a  decent blog name. They were also my first two followers.

Its going to be a year soon and I can sum up my blogging experience in  four words “I am loving it.” Not only have I connected with all of you wonderful people (who I would never have met if I had not jumped onto blogosphere), I have also had the opportunity of learning from each and every one of you. From how to brainstorm  story ideas to plot structures, to character arcs to sub-plots, to editing and revisions, you all have helped me along the writing path by literally holding my hand online.

I have also learnt that blogging is not just about  self promotion, or building a platform, its about making genuine connections with a fraternity who understands my journey: the ups and downs, and is  actually  walking beside me nodding in agreement.

Blogging is not just about me, it’s about US: celebrating the completion of  each other’s manuscripts, crying with  writing friends when they meet with rejections and dancing in celebration at acceptances and spreading the word around when our friends'  books hit the shelves. It’s about bursting online fireworks when we cannot be physically present at each other’s book launches. Its about promoting writers who we now consider good  friends, even though we have never met and  have only seen each other’s profile pictures and read each other’s profiles.

These online connections have now become an important part of our lives. We look forward to meeting each other online, via blog visits and comments. This is our conversation with other writers who we are not able to meet personally.

Here is hoping that I get to meet you all sometime in life (I am actually looking forward to it.) Hugs to each and everyone of you for  becoming a part of my writing life.

To celebrate my blogging anniversary, I will be hosting  two guest posts and a giveaway on 25 th March. I am sure  we all  are interested to know what has blogging  taught everyone? We all would love to hear your sound bites on blogging.