3 years, 283 posts, 2,07,006 words…

Posted on by sudhagee

3rdBirthday… later, its blogversary time. Yes, My Favourite Things turned 3 years old today and I feel a mix of pride, surprise, relief and so many other emotions right now.

You see, writing is not instinctive for me like music and art are. For me, writing is a laborious process and I have spent almost my entire lifetime avoiding writing beyond the essentials — homework, school essays, reports, letters, dissertations, etc. have been sincerely done. But that’s about it. I’ve never maintained a diary, even an appointment diary !

I must confess here that I’m quite envious of people who declare that they always knew they wanted to write, and also those bloggers who declare that it took them “just half-an-hour” to write a blog post.

So why did I start blogging? Mainly because I wanted to prove a point to myself by doing something out of my comfort zone, but also because I was bored. So Year 1 of blogging was all about getting comfortable with writing, exploring and experimenting with topics and writing styles, etc. Though writing still did not come easily to me, I had fun conceptualising and then writing post after post. It was hugely satisfying to see my thoughts take shape in the words I wrote.

Design: Raghav Modi. To buy a print, click on the image
Design: Raghav Modi

I entered Year 2 of blogging with greater confidence. That year turned out to be a fantastic year of growth as a blogger, meeting fellow bloggers, and receiving recognition from many quarters, including fellow bloggers. I felt proud to be a blogger and part of the blogging community. There were more people subscribing to my blog, more people reading it, more people commenting on it, more… more… more…

You know the feeling when everything is right with the world, you are on a roll, and nothing can stop you? Well, that’s what I felt like as the second year ended. There was this “small matter” of writer’s block, but I was quite calm, not unduly worried, and pretty confident that everything would sort itself out.

I began Year 3 on a high — a high degree of complacency and smugness. And we all know what happens when something like that sets in.

It was a time when I thought more about blog statistics, page views and comments rather than my writing. In other words, it was more about quantity than quality.

It was a year that shattered my illusions of a mature and unified blogging community through instances of bullying, spite, online abuse, and hypocrisy.

It was a year where I could no longer ignore writer’s block or keep calm about it. Though there were periods I was able to write, more often than not I was just overwhelmed with not being able to.

However crazy it sounds, I’m glad for all that has happened this year. I needed it (i) to realise that bloggers and the blogging world are a reflection of the real world (I really wonder now why I thought it would be different !); and (ii) to acknowledge my skewed priorities vis-à-vis my blog and remedy it by bringing the fun and passion back into my writing.

Before you think that this year was all doom and gloom, let me assure you that it was not. 😀 There were some fantastic highs as well: the launch of The Sunday Book Club (of which I am a co-founder) and its growth; my blog posts on Mumbai got published in DNA newspaper; two photographs of the Demoiselle Cranes at Khichan got published in the Deccan Herald; a blog post on Memorable Travel Memories won a Blogger Relay Contest; got listed among the top 30 travel blogs in India; met some awesome bloggers like Bhavana, Modern Gypsy, Puru & Ekta, and much more…

This year illustrates a favourite quotation of mine rather well:

Just when I knew all the answers to life’s questions, the questions changed. ~ Anonymous

These days, while I appreciate the comments on my blog posts, I am not fixated on them. As for blog stats they don’t make a difference any more and I see them only on the day I publish a new post. This has been the easy part and as for the difficult part, I have barely made a dent — writing. Though I have been writing fairly regularly, trying to breathe life into my writing, it has not been easy and the blog posts have been more misses than hits. Still, I am not giving up. Yet.

So, will the journey of 3 years, 283 posts, 2,07,006 words, 36 videos, 1,344 images, 1,35,558 page views, 6,937 comments and 17,117 spam comments see a fourth blogversary post?

Que sera, sera 🙂

The Blogging Journey… Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | Year 6 | Year 7 | Year 8 | Year 9 | Year 10 |

Published by sudhagee

I write about this, that, here, there and everywhere... Come, explore my world.

62 thoughts on “3 years, 283 posts, 2,07,006 words…”

  2. What a journey, Sudha! Wish you many more blogaversaries and that you discover more highs than lows this year. And hey, you haven’t mentioned the other recognition My Favourite Things got on the international scene. As for me, I am glad to have found a wonderful friend and a blog that gives such varied reading material with piquantly different perspectives, whether it is a shared video, travel post or personal memoirs. Let me tell you, these are of more interest to me than the travelogue or review itself. 🙂 Write on, blogger — writer’s block or not 😀

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    1. Thank you, dear Zephyr, for such beautiful, warm and heartfelt wishes. Your nagging, I mean encouragement, means a lot to me 😀 And with such good wishes behind me, how can I not write ?

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    1. Like I mentioned in my post, it is not about quantity, but quality. I struggle to conceptualise and write everything that goes into a post. It is quite exhausting and draining, and frankly quite lowers you morale. The reason I have been trying to be regular is more as a matter of a self-imposed writing discipline. I know that if I don’t write, I will just let it go. Each one of us has to find a certain rhythm and patteres in the way one writes. This is mine.

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    1. Thank you, thank you and then again, thank you for all the wonderful words. I, too, love this design of Raghav’s and think that it’s among one of the best that he has done 🙂

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  6. Sudha Congrats! A lovely outline of your journey. After all the fun and the pain is all in the journey. Kudos to the writer in you for fighting back. And congratulations for all the achievements. You certainly deserve them and more! I can’t agree more with your statement — why would one think the virtual world to be different from the real world? Wish you luck for many more anniversaries and achievements!

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    1. You are so right when you say that all fun and pain is all in the journey. And it is so important to experience it as how else can one appreciate the journey. Thank you so much for your wishes, Rachna. 🙂

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  7. Congratulations, Sudha! 🙂

    I am sorry you had to go through all that in blog world. Yes, it is a reflection of the real world, but there is a lot of good in blogosphere too. All I can say is that you do have a gift for writing. It has always been a pleasure to read your posts. Would love to read more by you. I wish you do continue writing! 🙂

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    1. Thank you, TGND. Your wishes and encouragement are much appreciated.

      I experienced the good of the blogosphere before the bad. And I continue to meet good people like you 🙂 I’m not cynical, just wary.

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  9. Where do i begin? There’s so much to say. I suppose what matters is what comes through in the end. The most difficult journeys are the ones with the sweetest destinations, From an accomplished editor to a versatile writer is an achievement in more ways than i can enumerate. Success of this kind is phenomenal. You are way too modest to ever admit it to yourself, but Sudha, in the august company of writers, you occupy a very very special place. May the flame of your enthusiasm never wane and that many more words find their way from your heart to our ears…

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    1. Deepa, it was your words three years ago that gave me the final push to start writing. I can never thank you enough for it. And it is your words again that will probably keep me on it. 🙂

      Thank you so much for everything 🙂

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  10. Woohooo! most of your posts, I started book marking for R to read/see when she grew up..and then I realised it didnt make sense because I was book marking almost every post 🙂 so now what I plan to do is, just open up the blog and make her read through the lovely fantastic writing which you do when she is old enough

    you have your own wonderful lovely way of writing and thank you for always increasing my knowledge in every post of yours 🙂

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  12. Congratulations Sudha on your third anniversary of blogging!
    I have seen you at times struggling to shift gears, at times moving with confident ease, and, yet, most often, on the auto cruise mode when writing. All these are part of the road we travel. Your posts are always a delight to read and I look forward to many more years of enjoyable reading.

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    1. Meena, I know that you read my posts but have never commented. I’m so honoured to have you here and comment specially for this post. It means a lot Thank you so much 🙂

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  15. Congratulations Sudha Ji on this fabulous achievement … and wish to see your blog climbing newer heights , making tons of more fans and followers ..All the very very best !!

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  19. Congratulations. More important than the numbers is the emotion with which you have highlighted prejudice, brought information to life, and inspired us with your personal journey. You have made us fellow travelers, and that in itself is an honor. Thanks, and why just a 4th?

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  22. A big thumbs up for you Sudha 🙂 I enjoy reading your posts and will keep coming back for more all the time. Yes, blogging world is very much like real world but it has allowed me to find many friends like you and I am glad for it 🙂

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    1. Thank you Jas, for your lovely words, and also for saying that you’ll come back for more. That is a huge motivation for me to write. Thank you once again 🙂

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  28. Nobody who has ever read you will ever believe that writing is difficult for you. You write like you were born to it and I wonder why you haven’t been snapped up by a travel magazine yet. That, this will happen, I have no doubts about. One day, you will travel the world on an expense account, no less and we will get to read all about Machu Pichu and Phnom Penh in that inimitable way that only you have. Go forth and travel more so we may live vicariously… 🙂

    I’m raising a toast to “My Favorite Things” Sudha!!

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    1. Thank you so much for such a wonderful toast and such beautiful wishes, Meera. I’m so touched that mera dil bhar gaya.

      The thing about writing is no one can gauge the ease or difficulty with which it has been written, except for the writer. It wasn’t so bad when I strted this blog, but recently it has been an uphill struggle often bringing about fond thoughts of just quitting. But I’m not a stubborn Arian for nothing, so here I am writing post after post with difficulty and in the hope that it will get better. 🙂

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  29. Happy Birthday to ” My Favourite Things” and Congratulations to you! Thanks to your perseverance and passion I’ve come across a wonderful blog with informative and well laid out posts that one would like to read at leisure with a hot cup of herbal tea. 🙂 I find your posts to be an oasis. All the best many more wonderful experiences.

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  30. Just loved your blog…… Amazing… We just came back from Rajasthan tour and I stumbled upon your blog… Felt blessed.. I m a follower now. Thank you.

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  31. Pingback: 4 years, 346 posts, 2,65,417 words… | My Favourite Things
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