From wanna-be to blogger--5 year anniversary

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                It’s Sunday night, February 9, 2014—a special date in several ways. According to my haiku calendar, in 2010 it was 20 degrees with snow on the ground. In 2011, it was snowing. Thirty-two degrees in 2013, and today, 29 degrees with snow still on the ground (until the afternoon). After the low, low temps of the past few weeks, today, it seemed actually warm.

                One more important (to me) event: Five years ago, I began blogging.

                In early February of 2008, I wrote a piece titled, “If I were a blogger . . .” At that time, I knew only two bloggers, both friends: former landlady Sally Dixon and Dennis Price, an Arkansan-turned-Texan. (He calls himself “the Texican.”) He kept at me, and when I finally set up a blog, he offered support by getting his friends to "comment."

                So far, though, I haven’t received any invitation from magazine editors to use any of my posts, like the literature on the advantages of blogging promised. Oh, I take that back, Gayle asked me to do a guest post on her blog, which I promised to do this month. But right now, she’s just a blogger like me. And a 90+-year-old writer from Missouri asked me to put the word out (on my blog) about her first novel coming out Tuesday, Water Under the Bridge, by Verna Simms.

                Now, five years later, many bloggers I know are out there in blogger-land, including most of the members of Central AR Writers.

Why blog? Jane, a blogger from Rector says, “Writing feeds me. It wasn't until I had the time that I began to write out of daily experiences, sharing what spoke to me. The response from readers encourages me to look deeper into each day.”

A blogger from Clinton: "Today marks the second anniversary of my blog, named "Freeda Baker Nichols, My True Sentence." As a poet and writer, I share poems and short fiction as well as photos. Blogging allows me to share my writings with people around the world. That's awesome! Their feedback encourages and brings me happiness. Although it's time consuming, my blog is worthwhile and keeps me writing."

                Here is another blogger, Christa. "Pat, I was a reluctant blogger. I had written the column for the paper since 2005 and when they started offering blogs I simply graduated to putting my column on the blog. Then I became excited about it and have 3 other blogs that I don't really update as often as I should."

Dot from Beebe writes, "I find blogging a good writing discipline for me, an appointment I need to keep. I also enjoy the instant gratification of finishing a project, no matter if small, and putting it out there. My blog (First Person Limited) is not designed to be an expert's view or opinion of anything; I like that freedom, too."

Gayle (aforementioned) says, "Blogging 1) keeps my mind on writing.  Knowing I need to keep a schedule keeps me on my toes and my attention on writing. 2) Perhaps the best thing is I am more aware of things around me, always wondering if they would be good subjects or how I could use them in a post.3) A nice side benefit is that I'm getting better at quick edits! ( and I'm craving to get better at photography, now, too... so I have my own photos to use)"

                Other friends have blogs, too, but I'll save their thoughts for another time.