1000

This is my 1000th blog post.

That's a big number of anything!
Can you imagine how many words and hours have gone into writing 1000 blog posts?

I've been doing this blogging thing for nearly 8 years, however the bulk of my blog posts were in the last 4 or 5 years.

In July 2014 I celebrated 5 years of blogging and 500 posts.

The following 500 have happened very quickly indeed!

In that time:

• I finally got my act together & co-ordinated my calender so that I could join in Dewey's readathon. I've now participated in all their readathons since 2014.

• In April 2015 I joined the voluntary team of editors at the Australian Women Writer's challenge. My focus initially, was the History, Memoir, Biography section, but starting next month I will take over editing the Non-Fiction (general) category. My reading of Australian women writers has exploded in this time.

• Reading the classics has waned a little in recent years (time issues not loss of interest), but I can still proudly say that I have participated in every single Classics Club #CCSpin. My five year classics reading challenge will come to end (officially) at the end of August. I'm 66/110 of the way through. I suspect I wont be able to read 34 classics in 6 months! How do I apply for an extension?

• Meeting Melissa from Avid Readers' Musings in September 2014 during her trip down under was a big highlight in my blogging life. So many of the big book blogging events happen on the other side of the world from me. The network of Australian book bloggers may be small but it's also very supportive and dedicated. Despite this we still often feel that the action happens 'over there'. Meeting Melissa and her Huz helped to narrow the gap for me between 'over there' and 'here'.

What have I learnt from writing 1000 blog posts?

• Keep it simple.
• Write what you love.
• Be authentic - stay true to yourself.
• Your enthusiasm will wax and wane over the years. It's normal. Don't panic.
• Writing takes time. So does editing.
• Editing is important. Don't hit the publish button straight away.
• Don't be afraid to experiment, try something new, take a break, join in or drop out altogether.
• Don't compare yourself to others - there will always be better writers and bloggers than you.
• Perfection doesn't exist.
• An ordinary, regular, run-of-the-mill published post beats an amazing but unpublished post every single time.
• Readers love lists (you've read this far haven't you?)
• Don't get caught up in page views or how many followers you have. If you're doing something you feel passionate about then that's all that matters.
• Join in. Read and comment on other blogs, participate in reading and blogging events that interest you, have a go at a few memes and reading challenges. It's a great way to meet like-minded people, to feel part of a community and it's simply a nice thing to do.

Finally:

To all of you who I have shared readalongs, readathons, photos, spins & other book events with, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I feel blessed to have met you all.
You have enriched my reading (& blogging) life.

Thank you for travelling with me this far...here's to many, many more shared book journeys!