Monday's Milestone: The Big Two-Five!

Excuse me while I find yet another reason to celebrate this holiday season...

THE UPSTREAM WRITER, NOW SERVING 25 FOLLOWERS!

I'm not bragging or anything. Because certainly I didn't force any of you to follow this blog. The fact that twenty-five of you did, of your own volition, speaks volumes and really gets me excited. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for clicking that little blue button! I have written and shared and watched and posted for two long years, just waiting for this very moment!

Honestly, as of last year, looking at my measly 10 followers (half of which were close friends and family...) I was debating whether or not to shut the blog entirely. It just seemed like the more I posted, the less people read--and hardly anybody commented. This was the complete opposite of the whole reason I started a blog, and it was definitely not what I was looking for.

This year, I've been taking hints from other bloggers (peers such as Emily Ecrivaine Reviews and Olivia's Inkspots, and seasoned veterans such as Quotidiandose) to try and boost visibility and attract a regular readership, and so far, what I have tried has mostly worked! At the very least, it has doubled the following--so here's to the next 25!

I love writing so much that yes (shameless confession) I would keep writing stories just to entertain myself--but then it would be pointless. Stories are meant to be shared. And besides, the best kind of writing comes out of lots of feedback. Hearing from you, my readers, lets me know what to pursue, where to go with various plot ideas, how others think when they read my thoughts, where my own thought processes (which always make sense to me) might be a little confusing for someone else, which gives me the chance to clarify (which I love to do!)--and this milestone of 25 Blogger followers (and 60+ GooglePlus followers!) gives me hope that I will finally get the chance that all writers look for: to hear from my readers.

Yep, I want to hear from you! "The Upstream Writer" is nearing it's SECOND BIRTHDAY and I want to make sure I'm giving all you readers what you deserve!

25 followers and 270 posts is nothing to sneeze at, for sure! Over the next few weeks I will be going through my blog and trying to optimize everything about it: the Pages, the posts, the series', the related posts... But while I'm doing that, if you--my faithful readers--would take a moment to poke around, leave comments wherever you like (I promise to read them all!) and help me out with trying to continue bringing you quality reading! Consider these questions:

-What sorts of posts have you seen on The Upstream Writer that you want to see more of?

-What else would you like to see on The Upstream Writer that maybe I haven't thought of yet?

-Which have you found more helpful in navigating the blog: Tags or Pages?


-Themed Posts (Hit Lists, NerdOuts, RamblingOns, Monthly Reading Lists, Sunday Musings, How Tos, ShowDowns, etc.) Yea or Nay? Which have been your favorites?

-Story Excerpts: Yea or Nay? Is there a story that I haven't posted about in a while that you would like to see more of?

-Suggestion Box: THANK YOU THANK YOU to everyone who has ever participated in this; I know I have a lot of fun... do you? Should I continue this in the new year? Which version did you enjoy more, the 2013 series, with its individual, unrelated scenes, or the long-story form of the 2014 series?

-Posts about the writing process: I know this can get kind of nerdy... but do you enjoy these? (If not I can shut up about the crazy way my brain works...)


If there is anything else you would like to add concerning the layout or organization of my blog, or its content, please let me know as well!

I hereby declare "OPEN SEASON" on The Upstream Writer. Lend me your opinions!