Blogging has been one of my writing repositories for the past 16 years.
I started writing fiction in 2008, dabbling with small pieces of flash fiction, and established the blog as a daily ritual, which led to its name: Daily (W)rite.
Over the years I’ve gone on to publish dozens of short stories in reputed journals and anthologies, and have three traditionally published crime novels to my name. As I work with my agent on my next novel(s), it is useful to consider how long I’ve been writing, and with what strategy in my mind.
Blogging was my solution to the rather scattershot writing practice I followed at the time. I scribbled more in my notebooks than on my laptop and that’s changed. About 95% of my writing now is done on the laptop, and some of it is dictated, like this blog post. I’m yet to dictate fiction, but I’m working my way there.
The early pieces of flash fiction and short stories that I occasionally posted or link to on the blog paved the way for my novels, and now I mostly write in the long form. Since most of my short stories are literary, I hope I can someday write a literary novel, and come up with a short story collection.
The novel I’m working on right now has never been a part of my blogging journey. You Beneath Your Skin remains the toughest book I’ve written so far because it was my first, took the longest, and where I trained myself to write a novel. Some excerpts have been published on this blog.
I’m wondering if I should post a few pieces of flash based in the world of the literary women’s fiction I’m writing now, so that blogging remains a place that feeds into my novel, and is fed by it in turn. A similar experiment with the Blue Bar novels led to my tiny flash fiction collection: Blue Mumbai Stories, that continues to sell copies each month.
Blogging has not just been about my writing, but also about making friends. A technical glitch and the Easter holidays meant my last post on Friendship was not seen by many bloggers, but to me blogging has also been about cultivating friendships. (If you haven’t either, here it is again: What Does Friendship Mean to You?)
My blog friends have been my cherished companions and advisors in my online life, and that’s part of the reason why I try and carve out time for blogging even when on writing deadlines.
It might be a tad ambitious to say that I’ll continue blogging for the coming years–blogging is no longer the ‘in’ thing to do, and my screentime is limited due to health reasons. I’ve considered moving to Substack, and asking my friends and followers here to subscribe to receive my musings in their inbox–but so far, I’ve been too embedded in writing shenanigans to consider doing new things with the blog, or convert it into a newsletter.
So, for now at least, here I remain.
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What about you? Have you been blogging long? What does your blog mean to you?
This is the first Wednesday of the month post for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. Founded by the Ninja Cap’n Alex J. Cavanaugh, the purpose of the group is to offer a safe space where writers can share their fears and insecurities without being judged.
This is a wonderful group–if you aren’t a part of it, I urge you to join in! The awesome co-hosts for the posting of the IWSG are Janet Alcorn, T. Powell Coltrin, Natalie Aguirre, and Pat Garcia!
My literary crime novels, The Blue Bar and The Blue Monsoon are on Kindle Unlimited now. Add to Goodreads or snag a copy to make my day ! And if you’d like to read a book outside the series, you can check out You Beneath Your Skin. Find all info about my books on my Amazon page or Linktree.
If you liked this post, you can receive posts in your inbox, or keep updated on my writing by clicking on any or all of the following buttons:
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I hope you don’t stop blogging Damyanti. Thanks for sharing how you’ve evolved with your blog too. I’ve been blogging for 11 years and am grateful for the great community of friends here. 🙂
Thank you, Debby! I’ll undoubtedly be sad if I do decide to give it up, so for now, I’m just trying to direct all my focus towards the present. I’ll cross that bridge when I get there. In the meantime, I’m very grateful for your support, and to the blog for bringing us together!
Me too my friend. We are glad to have you part of our community. <3
Thanks for stopping by my blog and for your encouragement. Thanks for sharing your writing journey and how it relates to your blogging. I’ll definitely check out the short stories. I’ve really been into collections and anthologies lately.
My pleasure! I look forward to visiting your blog again, sometime soon. Thank you for commenting and for taking a look at my writing — I hope you enjoy the Blue Mumbai Universe!
Thank you for sharing!!.. I use blogging as a avenue to share thoughts, ideas, etc. with others, hopefully in a respectful, peaceful manner. and in some ways try to help make this world a better place for everyone.. I just sit down with a cup of tea and let my fingers do the walking while my heart does the talking…… 🙂
I started blogging in 2006 using Yahoo 360, … I have used a few platforms over the years but have decided to use WordPress and as my mortal clock continues to wind down, will stay here and keep it simple until I grow to old to dream…. 🙂
Hope all is well in your part of the universe, life is all that you wish for it to be, your path is paved with peace, love and happiness and until we meet again…
May flowers always line your path
and sunshine light your way,
May songbirds serenade your
every step along the way,
May a rainbow run beside you
in a sky that’s always blue,
And may happiness fill your heart
each day your whole life through.
May the sun shine all day long
Everything go right, nothing go wrong
May those you love bring love back to you
And may all the wishes you wish come true
(Irish Saying)
Thank you so much, both for your kind words and the beautiful saying! I know what you mean — my blog is like a digital diary to share my inner musings, life experiences, author advice, and writing progress with my wonderful blogging friends. Being able to feature incredible authors and specialists and receiving lovely comments like yours is a bonus! I’m so grateful that you choose to visit my little corner of the Internet and that I have the privilege of visiting yours, which never fails to bring me a sense of peace and joy. The intention behind your writing is incredibly inspiring, and I hope your blog continues on for many happy years more. I also love the sentence “I just sit down with a cup of tea and let my fingers do the walking while my heart does the talking”! I’m looking forward to doing the same. Wishing you all the best, and sending you all the positive vibes!
Please continue to blog! The other publishing platforms (such as Medium and Substack) come and go, but your blog remains under your control and will be there as long as you want it to be.
I’ll definitely give it my all! And thank you so much for the wise words and encouragement.
By next month I’ve been blogging for 11 years. Though I never thought I’d continue blogging for this long. Especially when it can be time consuming. But it was through blogging where I met my online friends, so don’t consider it as time wasted. It encourages to keep blogging and walking the path of authorship with everyone.
Happy early blog anniversary! I agree, it can definitely be time consuming, but being a part of the blogging community has made it worth it for me, too. “Walking the path of authorship with everyone”– that’s a wonderful way of wording it.
Fictionophile began in 2007 though I didn’t show it much love until 2008, when I retired from the library. I wanted a way for my connection with books and booklovers to continue on…
I’m so happy that you managed to find a way! It’s lovely to have been able to connect with you via our blogs.
Who cares if blogging is the “in” thing at the moment. Sure, most of us started when it was rising and at it’s peak. Many people gave it a try because it was the new, shing thing. But, those of us who are writers and like to connect with readers and other bloggers are the ones sticking with it. We can still get our words and ideas out there on our own terms, and that’s always been the appeal of blogging. The other platforms are just as much a flash in the pan as anything. I’ve enjoyed all your writings through the years, and treasure our connection. Congrats on all your success!
Absolutely! Like I mentioned to Thomas in an earlier comment, the joy of blogging just because we enjoy it is so much more important and valuable than doing it according to the current trends. The interactions and friendships it provides are so precious, especially in a time where technology is always changing and it’s difficult to stay up to speed on the infinite new advancements which pop up everyday. Thank you for supporting my writing, and for being such a wonderful blog friend over all this time. So happy that blogging brought us together!
What a wonderful post, Damyanti! I cherish all my “online community” friends. I learn so much from all of you. Thank you for being one of my cherished online friends. All best to you!
Thank you so much, Victoria! And allow me to say the same for you! My blog friends are some of my biggest inspirations, and your friendship and support mean the world to me. Here’s hoping our friendship lasts for many years more. All the best to you, too!
I’ve been blogging for just over 10 years now. I started out writing reviews of all sorts of things on content sites, but when those closed down, I realized that I like writing the book reviews the most, and decided to take some of my old book reviews and put them on a blog, and I just kept going!
I love that! Blogging can definitely be a means of discovery, and I can’t tell you how many things I’ve found out about myself and my writing thanks to my blog. I’m so happy to hear that your blog helped you find your passion, and thank you for sharing your experiences!
We’ve been blogging friends for so long Damyanti. Thank you for always visiting my blog.🥰
And thank you for always visiting mine, Arlene! I’m so grateful.
Likewise Damyanti.🥰
I have been blogging for over ten years. Not often, but fairly regularly, and I’ve met wonderful people on my blogging journey. I don’t intend to quit. It feels right to stay in the blogosphere.
That’s so nice to hear, Olga! It’s always a relief to know that the bloggers I follow and admire intend to continue being a part of the blogging community.
It’s always so fascinating to read the back stories to people’s artistic lives!
I agree, it’s incredible to learn about their inspirations, influences, and creative processes!
It’s hard to imagine another great blogger, you, leaving the community.
I look forward to reading more of your books. You’re a great writer.
That’s so kind of you to say, thank you! And I’m honored to know that you hold my books in such high regard. Here’s hoping my potential future publications don’t disappoint!
I’ve been blogging from the beginning of it all. Started on Yahoo360 which folded, then onto Multiply which also was closed down and some others until commencing on WordPress.
Wow, sounds like you’ve had an eventful blogging journey, Ian! It’s amazing to think about how much the platforms for blogging have changed over the years, and how much they’re likely to change in the future.
I’ve been blogging since 2016, so it’s become a regular part of my creative life, and I have no intention of giving it up. The community is too important to me. A couple of months ago, I started a Substack newsletter because so many writers seem to be transitioning from WordPress to Substack. (As a way of hedging my bets.)
That’s lovely to hear, Liz! Your blog is such an institution, and I’d be sad to see it go. The community is definitely one of the most important parts of blogging to me, and it’s one of the main reasons why I persevere. As for hedging your bets, that’s an excellent idea, thank you for sharing! I’m still not sure what I plan to do, but it’s good to have so many blogger friends I can take inspiration from.
Thank you very much for your kind words, Damyanti!
I don’t intend to quit – too many friends. Like you!
Same for you, Alex!
I’ve been blogging for about 11 years now, not as consistent with it the past few years as got into some other things but aiming to get back into it more frequently.
That’s amazing! Wishing you the best of luck.
I’ve been blogging for two years. Initially it was to advertise my Leonberger book. A long time online friend of mine and a long time blogger (Alex) helped me get started. However, since then it has developed into a hobby and I am considering starting a second blog about a totally different topic. Like you say, blogging may not be the in-thing to do anymore, but I think it still is a good hobby.
That’s so exciting, Thomas! If you do start a second blog, I’m looking forward to stopping by. And yes, absolutely, hobbies should be more important than following the trends. It’s such a relief to be able to do something purely for the fun of it, with no intention of commercializing or popularizing it. I need to find a few more hobbies of my own, too!
You’re so right. Continuing to blog has a lot to do with staying in touch with your colleagues and friends.
Absolutely! I love being able to see what my friends are up to from their blogs.
I’ve blogged on and off throughout my childhood (I’m part of that generation whose earliest childhood memories feature a pre-home internet world, but who nonetheless got online very young), but then didn’t start blogging regularly until my junior year of college, in 2012. Since then I’ve had some periods of dormancy, but I always feel like I’m more creative and aware when I’m blogging. Blogging always presents a creative challenge, and I also love visiting other blogs to see how other people do it!
So do I! It’s so inspiring to see the styles and unique voice each blogger brings to their posts, and it never fails to encourage me to spend more time nurturing my own. You couldn’t be more right about blogging being a “creative challenge”. It’s definitely a labor of love, and I’m so grateful for all the support I’ve received over the years.
When I started blogging, I had some vague notion that I should do it for marketing and networking. That never really worked for me. Once I started thinking about it in terms of making friends, like you were saying, I had a much better time.
I’ve heard that blogging is no longer the “in” thing as well, but I think that only matters to people who are constantly chasing trends. There’s still a strong community of bloggers, and I’m happy to be part of it.
Yes, there’s definitely a sense of pressure for us to blog based on numbers — the number of likes, comments, shares, visitors, etc. — but I find it much less stressful and more fun to focus on the personal connections, instead. I don’t know what I would do without the many friends I’ve met thanks to my blog!
Hi Damyanti, There’s always something to take back home from your blog. I am going to try and dictate my blog posts, at least a few of them. I would love for you to do a women’s fiction. Anjali stays with me, as do some of your flash pieces. I’ve read the short stories fron your Blue Universe and a short story collection will be great.
I’m very glad to have helped, Sonia! Dictation can be so useful, and a huge relief when I’m stuck in bed and unwilling to lift any limbs. Thank you for the encouragement and kind words! I’m excited to see where I can take the Blue Mumbai Universe, and it’s lovely to know that you’ll be along for the ride.
I started in 2009. Blogging has always been my creative outlet (photography, writing and even podcasts for a short time), as well as a way to document the memories of my life. Something to reminisce about in my old age! 😉 Connections with bloggers all over the world is a wonderful by-product! 😀 I’ve dabbled with Substack and it’s not as user-friendly as WordPress or Blogger. The post formatting options are limited and people have to subscribe to access your material, so you’ll have less interactions.
That’s incredible, Debbie! I love being able to look through old posts and think back to where I was in my life when I posted them. It’s a digital photo album and personal memoir of my writing journey, with the lovely addition of comments from wonderful blogging friends. And I couldn’t agree more — the blogging community is one of the best parts of having created the blog and kept it going for all these years. Thank you for letting me know about Substack! I’ll definitely have to explore my options more carefully, once I have the time.
“blogging is no longer the ‘in’ thing to do”–didn’t know that. Thank goodness I’ve never done the ‘in’ thing!
Same here, Jacqui!
Since 2002!
That’s amazing, Cynthia! 22 years 🙂