365 days, 573 posts, 1 sweaty writer

/ October 26, 2014
Check out the WordPress hoses, why don't I?

Check out the WordPress hoses, why don’t I?

With the opportunity for the eyes of the world to read or not to read this sentence of mine, I’ve accomplished something that started high above one of the wonders of the world 365 days ago.

That morning I published here on WordPress the glorious view of sunrise on Oct. 27, 2013, which happened to be the fifth wedding anniversary of my dear wife Karen and I, the reason behind our visit to the far more picturesque Canadian side of Niagara Falls.

Here’s where you can find that post and picture.

Soon after I got the idea that I wanted to write on this blog every day. And I did, for a month, two months, three, half a year.

I shared tales of our garden, of gophers and skunks and how they terrorized our Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle and how we worked so hard to get rid of them.

I wrote about music and sports and movies and my community, all the time searching for that unique idea that would strike that universal connection.

I made it to month 12, day 365, post 573.

Go ahead and click on any of the tags that are displayed to the right, pick and choose to your tastes. There are plenty to go around, a representation of this year’s output plus those that came in the eight months before that, a total of 737 stories from my brain to your screen.

As always, I’m not standing still in the vast WordPress world. Lately I’m pushing myself to read more of your blogs in a more timely manner, commenting when something must be said, hoping somebody will click over to my place and be inspired enough to speak their piece here. Yeah, I’m looking under the hood.

Work is in progress for me to join the ranks of interesting writers on the quirky The Blog of Funny Names, where once a month I’ll create something for that smart location and also start it over here, too.

I can’t say I’m going to last another year with a successful stretch of daily posting, but I’m certainly shooting to make it through November. After spotting an invitation for help with the upcoming NaBloPoMo on her Not a Punk Rocker blog, I volunteered my services to Sheena. After a volley of emails, I said, OK, I’ll host the group together last year under the great name Nano Poblano under the leadership of Rara, who’s indisposed for an awful reason this time around.

The point of that monthlong exercise it to post every day. The mission here will be to present prompts and a gathering place for like-minded writers with links and comments and helpful suggestions. Wow, I better get cracking on that one.

I’ll put that centerpiece entry up here tomorrow morning. Those of you who make my work a regular part of your reading routine and writing an important element in your life — you know who you are, we trade comments a couple times a day — I hope you take the leap and join Nano Poblano. I’m thinking that we’ll all discover a wide world of new blogs to investigate within the group as well as a new set of eyes to read and comment about our work every day.

What’s your primary mission for your blog writing? How many blogs do you try to read and comment on every day, and how do you choose them? What’s the most days in a row you’ve posted on your blog, and did you feel it made you sharper or less focused at the end?

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41 thoughts on “365 days, 573 posts, 1 sweaty writer”

  1. congrats on a productive year! And glad there’s more fun coming up for you as well. Am glad to have made your acquaintance for sure.

    Blogging is (mostly) about the biz for me and I shoot for weekly posts. Started daily, then 3x a week, then 2x, and figure 1x is a good place to stay for me. Seems I’ve been challenged by computer issues as of late, so you’ll have to look to the deLiz archives (did you catch that pony cake yet?) this week as I’m putting food for fun on hold since I won’t have extended internet access (at a coffee shop right now to finish another project) for a few more days. Upside: Have been in bed at a decent time for two nights now 🙂 Carry on, Mr. Mark. Whatever your blogging future holds, I am honored to follow.

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  2. Happy Anniversary, Mark, to you and Karen. Amazing and exhausting stats. Wish you the best on your quest. As for me, I find that writing one post a week is about all I can handle. Plus connect with excellent writers and friends such as yourself. 😉

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  4. Mark, you have such a generous heart and it shows in your writing. I think that’s why so many people enjoy reading your blog and look forward to hearing from you on their own. I’m grateful to have you as one of my blogging buddies, that’s for sure.

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  5. Hi Mark, Happy 365 Days / 573 Posts! Wow, what an undertaking!

    I try to get something on my blog at least twice a week. I find that challenging, I must admit. As for reading other blogs, I do have a regular group of bloggers I follow, and I try to get caught up with most of their posts at least once a week, putting aside a day or couple of mornings to do so.

    Congrats on keeping your content interesting – not an easy feat with such frequent publishing. I salute you! 🙂

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    • Thank you, Kate. Your blog is always an interesting read. As for mine, I keep my eyes and mind open in my daily paces. That’s bode my well. 🙂 And I have to admit, reading my friends’ blogs has put me behind in novels and magazines and other reading, somewhat. 😦

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  7. Congrats on this one-year milestone, Mark! It’s hard work to write on a regular basis, and daily is REALLY hard, so kudos to you. I write to give folks a chuckle and take our minds off our worries for just a little while…it keeps me semi-sane. I enjoy your close-ups of all things Syracuse! Well Done. 🙂

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    • I enjoy your humor very much, Ermigal. You have a delightful light touch on life. Thank you for that. And I delight in sharing the word about our place, Syracuse. Under-rated in some ways, right? 🙂

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  8. Daily is good if it is kept short enough to eat small bites. It’s time-consuming to eat three course meals on twenty blogs a day. I try to keep in mind that every WordPress reader has other sites to visit, coffee to drink, meals to prepare, and clothes to wash. And TV and facebook. It is a hard dance to do, but you are a good dancer.

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    • Thank you, Kerbey. You are a great partner on the floor, too. I try not to keep my tunes more ‘Hungry Heart’ 3 mins and less ‘Rosalita’ 9 mins because of which you say. Once in a while, though, I get a bit too much ‘Amerian Pie’-winded.

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  9. Congratulations Mark! I’m glad you started your journey here on WP. WP has opened up the world haven’t they? Just think, without them I wouldn’t know to wear orange to support Syracuse, I wouldn’t know your friend Tater, or your Dear Wife Karen. Thanks WP, for introducing me to my friend Mark.

    I have been writing here on WP for over five years. I don’t know what my longest stretch is with out missing a day. I didn’t start out daily. And really, I write just for the love of it. Whether it’s ten words or one thousand words. Or no words but now a little bit of a sketch. I just enjoy creating. I know that one day, any words I leave behind, will be appreciated by someone. And though I write because I ‘have’ to-to be me-I write for those who will one day appreciate what I left behind for them.

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    • I appreciate your words and sketches in the here and now, my dear friend Colleen, and only because of WP do I know of you and them. Thank you WP for this introduction. This is the cat’s meow, this world where you can make real friends the thoughts that words and sketches carry over the Internet. Pretty wild for people our age, is it not?

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      • Amazingly wild. I often have the discussion with my uncle about how my grandfather, his father, would have been SO in love with this tool. We are indeed on a wild ride with the internet. 😉

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  10. Last november was a challenge I enjoyed so yes i will be posting every day again – just for that month. delighted you are going to be a bigger part of the prompts.
    The blogs I read – written by the best – people I am happy to call friends – and a fair few blogs that are photo based and provide photographic food for thought.

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  11. Brian, you have inspired me. I really tried to write and paint every day.
    But life intervened. Yesterday’s posted blog did not post to FB, but I read you here with iPad in lap on Sunday. Today is gray. My mood is hoo hoo good. That’s a nice thing to write.

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  14. Wow Mark, impressive stats! And you’re a good writer so it’s a joy to stop by. ❤

    My primary reason for blogging is my love of community. 1. the community I've built on here. 2. the posts I write regaling the virtues of community at Talktodiana and my other blog theotherbottomline. In a nutshell if I get one person, who's never really thought about it, to realize the value of the people around the table and recognize their individual gifts and use them toward a common purpose, I've died and gone to heaven!

    I follow 200+ blogs. Thankfully a lot of these folks do not post everyday. I try to read at least one post a week from every blog I follow. I think it's safe to say that I spend more time reading others than writing and posting my own. (Between my two blogs I write 3 posts a week and feature another's blog once a week)

    I know I shouldn't have favourites (yanno like with kids) but I do and those folks I visit more often. And my dear Mark, you just happen to be one of them! ❤

    Diana xo

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  15. and since i’ve discovered and jumped on board the mark train, i’ve enjoyed them all, and getting to know the man behind the words and pictures. power on, mark! as for me, i began blogging as a way to tell stories, share feelings and questions and quotes and images and discovered a world of kind and caring and creative people that are amazing.

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  16. Well, happy blog anniversary Mark. That’s pretty amazing. If i had a blog i think i’d like to do about two posts a week. I’m not a very ambitious writer.

    I’ve enjoyed reaidng and commenting on your blog and i hope to continue to do so far into the future.

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    • Seeing you write “I’m not a very ambitious writer” and then seeing your comments on every blog I follow are the two most incongrous thoughts that will hit me today, Paul. You are a very ambitious writer, believe me.

      Thanks for your dogged pursuit of my blog, and excellence of comment everywhere here, my friend.

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  17. Happy Blogiversary, Mark! Mine is on November 1, so we’re pretty close together. 🙂

    My blog’s mission is to bring Deep Thoughts and laughs to my readers. It’s also meant to keep me distracted, help me work on my comedy writing, and give me a means to spread the word about my other writing projects like my screenplays and that TV show for which I write and occasionally act.

    Lately, I’ve made it my mission to help spread the word about other blogs. I always share posts on Twitter and usually add the #bloglove tag. I probably follow two dozen blogs right now. I’d love to add more, but I am seriously too busy with other projects.

    Enjoy your blog’s special day!

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    • Thanks, Austin, for all you do to spread the #bloglove to the world, my friend. We work hard, we writers do, and one hand clapping is a lonely sound. You take two and make it two thousand. You are a good and talented Maine man from Da City, my friend, with a Modern Philosophy of humor and good taste and the right touch of otherworldlness. 🙂 I can’t wait to attend your movie parties.

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      • Thanks, Mark! Love your blog, and we suffer with our Jets together.

        The new screenplay is almost done, so let’s hope there’s a movie party soon!

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  18. Wow! Great job, Mark! I have been on since Spring, 2012 and only racked up a little over 660! Your quality is great and a pleasure to read. I hope you have enjoyed the ‘ride’ so far! Am at Mom’s (since Fri.) and we watched, “Levity,” with my artist bro, who had excellent photos of his trip to California (57 h.s. grad. Randy Oldrieve, check out his open to public cross country adventure!) The movie was profound (Billy Bob T. and Morgan F.) along with the “Mandela: The Walk To Freedom” with my younger bro, another time. We are a movie buff family. Mom enjoyed both, lots of conversation and food, too. Take care and “keep on ‘truckin’!”

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    • I’m glad to hear you are having a big family movie weekend at mom’s with your artist bro Randy Oldrieve, whose adventure I am going to check out. I also need to watch ‘Levity,’ because you have excellent film tastes, Robin. 🙂 Eat well the rest of today. 😮

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