11th Blogaversary

I've done it again!

I've let the 5th July come and go, forgetting yet another blogaversary. 

I may have turned missing my blogaversary into an art form.

Thirteen days ago was the 11th anniversary of my very first blog post. That's,

• 11 years,
• 132 months,
• 573 weeks.
• 4015 days, and
• 96369 hours.

In that time I have written 1524 posts, viewed by over 752183 people (or bots!) leaving 8576 comments. 

My very first blog post was Gone by Michael Grant and reflected that Brona's Books started life as a blog designed with teachers and parents in mind. (This post also featured my very first comment...left by me!! Sad but true!)

The first two years saw me posting in fits and starts. I had no idea what I was doing. I felt like I was writing into a huge unknown void. The book blogging community was oblivious to me and I was oblivious to them. 

I had burnt out from teaching career and was now working in an independent children's bookshop. I was happy enough to read kids lit for work, by my heart was in adult fiction, classics in particular.

It was during my summer holidays in January 2012 that I had a revelation.
I had read several fantastic adult books over the break and I was brimming with things to say about them...and I suddenly realised... I could blog about adult books too!

I began to google and read stuff on how to be more interactive in the blogging world & how to get more comments and interested followers.

The brave new world of memes, blog hops and readalongs suddenly opened up before me!
I discovered The Classics Club and numerous Australian bloggers. I joined events, participated in memes & left hundreds of thoughtful comments in the blogosphere.

In fact, I found myself blogging about so many new and wonderful things, that I felt the need to start a second blog to cater for my photographic & travel writing urges!
In July 2012 Four Seasons was born.

Since then, I have learnt basic html, joined twitter and instagram and started a Brona's Books facebook page.

I've hosted events, like my annual AusReadingMonth, the now defunct Wharton Review and numerous readalongs. I've become an editor for the Australian Women Writers Challenge and a moderator for The Classics Club.

This blogging life is not without it's own challenges though. 

There are the slumps, the writer's blocks and the loss of enthusiasm. There is a busy life, changing priorities and pandemics. There are times when you wonder what on earth you are doing here, what is the purpose of it all and why bother.

In 11 years I have learnt that everyone's blogging journey is personal and just right for them. 

You have to work out what it is you want to do and then it will be right for you too. 

Be prepared to change and evolve. 

Make mistakes, learn from them and try again.

• If you love what you're doing, then you'll find a way to keep on doing it.
• If you want to be a writer, then write.
• Even when you don't want to or when it feels too hard.
• Especially when you don't want to and it feels too hard.
• Write something.
• Write what you would like to read.
• Edit.
• Write some more.

But blogging is not just about writing; it is just as much about the reading.

We write a book blog because we are readers of books. Usually we are readers of lots and lots of books.

Being a book blogger means we are also committing ourselves to reading the blogs of other book bloggers and engaging in a community of fellow bloggers and readers. People just like us, with time constraints, personal issues and good intentions that don't always come to fruition. 

Many years ago I read Daniel Pennac's The Rights of the Reader.

Pennac lists 10 reader's rights that tonight I will subvert for my own purposes.

1. The right not to read (or blog).
2. The right to skip (or skim read another's review).
3. The right not to finish a book (or review).
4. The right to read it again (& not to blog about it at all).
5. The right to read anything (or nothing or eight books at once).
6. The right to mistake a book for real life (or real life for your blog)!
7. The right to read anywhere (or check your latest blog comments from any device).
8. The right to dip in (& browse without leaving comments).
9. The right to read out loud (& curse your device when it eats another comment)!
10. The right to be quiet (or not like a post).

And since this is my 11th anniversary, I need one more.

11. The right to make it all up as you go along and to change your mind whenever you like!

However, the very best part of 11 years of blogging has been all of you.

Yes, you - my dear readers, followers & regular commenters. Especially all of you who persist even when your first comment is eaten by your device!

A big thank you to all of you who have shared readalongs, readathons, photos, spins & other book events with me. 

I feel blessed to have met you all.
You have enriched my reading and blogging life no end.

You make this whole thing worthwhile.

Thank you all for sharing this 11 year journey with me.