Looking Back at Post a Day 2011 — How’d You Do?. I made it to the end of the year. I have to say at the beginning of this year, I did not know how likely that was. I had just been stricken with Bell’s Palsy and was feeling VERY lousy. My son had just been diagnosed with lupus. I was VERY downhearted. We were spending every weekday at doctor appointments and tests. My optimism was slipping away. A dear friend suggested that I blog. I started out blogging about Bell’s. But that was moving my mindset to being completely defined by my (what I hoped would be temporary) condition. It did turn out to be mostly temporary. So I started this blog. I began sometime in March. I posted sporadically.
1. Why did I start the challenge? On July 29th I joined Postaday2011 and Postaweek2011 Challenges. I decided within a few days that I needed to catch up. Thus, I set a goal to go back and do the prompts that I hadn’t yet done. I posted them for each day of the year. By late August or early September (as I recall) I had caught up. (Yes, I did 7 months worth of posts in about 6 weeks to catch up). I didn’t always do the prompt. sometimes I made up my own. I did the challenge to broaden my topics and become part of a community.
2. Describe the state of your blog at the time you started the challenge. When I started the challenge I was trying to become a regular blogger. I wanted connections and accountability. When I began blogging, I didn’t know much about blogging, I just wrote. I was a newbie!! More than 520 posts later I am astonished!!! Somehow more than 8,400 times people have looked at my blog…..and in blog-o-world I pale in comparison to the outreach so many of my beloved bloggers have. I have mountaintops yet to reach…and miles to go before I sleep.
3. How did your blog evolve over the course of the challenge? Over the course of the challenge, my voice has gotten stronger, and i have found it easier and easier to write.
4. Did you post as often as you had hoped? Why or why not? I did post as often as I hoped. I have at least one post for each day of the year. Some of my posts were short, rather trite, and not so great. others were insightful, and some downright terrific at times. I shared more and more of my heart. I find this easy to do—as I tend to be quite open.
5. What type of blogging strategy works best for you? I find it best to blog each day. Some days the ideas and thoughts are flowing like crazy. On those days I create a multitude of drafts and save them as prompts for days when my ideas run dry.
6. If you could go back to the beginning, what would you do differently? I might do a better job with categories and tags. These are kind of a mess, and I think I need to go back through and reduce the amount of tags and categories I use. I might also load more of my photos onto my computer from the CDs they are stored on. Then I could upload them to each of my posts. I love photos, close ups, and illustrations 🙂
7. What are you most proud of accomplishing this year? I am most proud of: blogging each day and finding my blogging voice; reaching out to and finding kindred spirit bloggers; and creating and passing out my very own blogging award:
8. Name 3 great blogs you discovered through the challenge. Oh no!! Only 3?? I have found so many!! Ok: these are some of the first ones I discovered (and who followed me early on and gave me support ( but there are SO many blogs I love and so many bloggers who support my efforts, answer my questions, encourage me, etc).
1. http://katharinetrauger.wordpress.com/
2. http://havinsnest.com/
3. http://auntyuta.wordpress.com/
9. What surprised you about the challenge? I was surprised by the broad range of topics and prompts. At first I made myself blog about every prompt. But as time went on I gave myself permission to make up my own topic on the days when I just plain did not want to write about a particular topic. I began to make it my mission to remain true to my own voice. That was a very cool discovery. Also cool that I was able to catch up although I started the challenge late. Yeah–that is because I have a HIGH need for completion and to play fair!!
10. What advice would you give to others who want to blog regularly? I would say commit to it and just do it. On days when you have excess ideas, create drafts. Use them on the dry days.
11. What are your blogging goals for 2012? Refine my writing skills. Stay true to my goal of blogging daily. Improve my photography and layout skills. Continue to distribute the award I created https://believeanyway.wordpress.com/2011/12/18/creation-of-new-blog-award-the-candle-lighter-award/
Don’t forget to use the postaday2011 tag to make it easy for others to find your 2011 reflection when browsing the latest in postaday2011 posts!
Happy New Year from all of us at The Daily Post!
Believe Anyway 
I still have a lot to learn about blogging and writing and layout and all the things you mentioned. Congratulations on your accomplishments…over 500 posts and over 8000 visitors. My stats are much lower. Thanks for visiting my site and giving me the Candle Lighter Award. I appreciated the encouragement. Happy New Year to you!
our stats are only numbers. our joy, you and i, is to continue to light the world with our talents,words, and pictures. Your site is a joy. Happy New Year to you as well.
Congratulations on your completion. I’m glad we connected at the end of the year… never too late. Be blessed! 🙂
Elizabeth, blessings to you too–and so glad you had such a good experience with postaday! your blog is a joy and I am glad we connected, too!
Oh, Kate! Thanks for the link and for your faithfulness. I have been so behind, lately, but am catching up! (You know how that is!) I remember finding you–I was so awed at your determination to complete all the days you had missed from the time your friend told you to blog and the time you finally launched out. That detemined spirit I what drew me to you, and now, look! Here you are with the fruit of it, the friends, the good sense of accomplishment, and all the rest. What a great deal! Did you think the Bell’s was a springboard for such a beautiful dive into something new and different? Ha!
And you found that long-lost twin! 🙂
I do know how that is. My writing and posting gets behind, too. And now my replies to comments are getting behind!! Some days, it seems, my writing is deep, spirit-filled and I really love what I wrote. Other days it is so difficult to write. There were many days when I relied on the postaday topics. There were days that it was really incredibly easy to think of my own topic instead. By now I don’t know which days I remembered to post something on the actual postaday comments and when I just did stuff on my own blog and put the tag. I still don’t get the best way to use tags and categories….I really love blogging. I am grateful that there are people who signed on to receive my posts…I am amzed that that has happened. I am moved beyond measure that the fruit of my words has brought me the words and friendship of other kindred spirits. You are right, it is a great deal.
I am thrilled to have found you, your friendship, and your blog—my long-lost twin and sister in Christ. Bless your day—and thank you so much.