Friday 26 December 2008

2008- A Year of Failure



Well, it has to be conceded, I failed dramatically in the personal target I set myself for 2008.
I guess there have been too many distractions really, and I need to be more focused for 2009.

The target was 500 readers a day.
And no, we're nowhere near.

We're between 2,000 and 3,000 a month, which is a long way to go.

And it's an all important personal target. Because I have made another vow to myself, regarding that figure.
Because I am thirty, and I do think it would be a good idea if I made a stab of kind of settling down, or something of the sort. Not in a married kind of way, but in the sense of having a significant other and perhaps starting a family. You know, like people do.

This would entail me making some sort of attempt to return the world of serious relationships with members of the opposite sex.

Except I vowed in October 2008 to put all that on hold until I had reached that 500 readers a day figure.
Of course, just how on hold it has been, is a matter for debate. It has, in the sense that I haven't allowed any serious relationships to develop. Initially, it was supposed to actually entail total sexual abstinence, but I guess that was never going to happen. Though I did manage six months. Or thereabouts.

And on the other hand, we had the fact I fell in love with Haydee. But no relationship in that sense ever actually threatened the vow in question so I was never in the position where I found she actually wanted to be with me and I had to say 'Great. Just one thing- we'll have to wait till I have five hundred readers a day'.

Still, I think Haydee has been good for this blog, or good for me in that she really did inspire me to write and has kept me going through my darkest periods.

Now I have a fair amount of issues to deal with in three dimensional reality at present. Various crises threaten to overwhelm my existence and I'm guessing that for the early part of 2009 I may not always be able to devote as much time to this as I would like.
But I'm hoping I can deal with them and get back to the serious task of taking this blog where I want to take it and once I've got it there I can actually get on with having a life.



I'm actually realising that I'm mortally SICK of sleeping alone, night in, night out. I'm actually finding I'm tired of cruising pubs and picking up total strangers who can be guaranteed not to call again and a Ms Crushed would be nice. And lots of little Crusheds and Crushedesses. Of course, I need to find someone very different indeed to the sort I usually tend to attract, but finally, I think I know what I'm looking for.

But I can't even begin to think about that seriously until I've hit that 500 readers a day.
It's a question of priorities.
First things first.

So here's to 2009!
And hoping I find myself in a position to seriously contemplate a Ms Crushed at some point within it.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm aways amazed how much material you pump out.

If I were you I might consider making both endeavors a priority.

I might look at shifting more time over to the relationship quest by:

A - writing some shorter posts or

B - splitting longer posts into 2 parts, posting one part each day, or

C - cutting back to 5 posts per week by giving one more day to guests posters. With 6 of us, we could post every third week. I`m not lobbying for that. Just a suggestion.

Or some combination of the above.

Anonymous said...

Something is deemed a disaster only if you've not bothered to learn anything from your mistakes.

Ditto what FWG said about not just either the the blog or a significant other. Balance is probably better for you, the blog and everything that follows.

Anonymous said...

That's still 100 readers a day. I wonder, how do you count how many readers you have? Congrats on reaching that number by the way.

On failure and the light bulb Thomas Edison said: "I didn't fail. I just came up with a thousand ways how not to make a lightbulb." Maybe take this year as an oportunity to learn from past mistakes, both yours and of others (if you have the insight to do so, I certainly don't).

I agree with Fantasy writer guy, maybe increase the number of guest posts so that you have a little more time to either yourself or to reading and commenting on other blogs. Personally, I got to this blog by blog hopping from your comments on another blog, so others might do the same.

Anonymous said...

I've decided to put my blog as a bottom priority this year. I've been thinking that I am too young and healthy to put so much time into a computer. My studio is where I should be sharing more...good luck in all your endeavors in the coming year.

Anonymous said...

If you want mu advice on the blog I would go for shorter posts with one point at a time... I hope to continue the serious role of my blog as well.. fomenting world change and revolutions and what not...

Anonymous said...

Crushie.. two things.

It gets us in the end.. this yearning for companionship - I know that you have talked a lot about your interest in polyamory and rejection of the single partner.. but.. I imagine in any polyamorous situation it starts.. with one functional relationship that grows.. so.. good luck with that in 2009.

The blog. I dig you Crushie - but I oftentimes get lost in the middle of your posts and skip to the end. I agree with others on the shorter post angle.. either write less or edit more. Constructive crit. The length of post is sometimes prohibitive. Consider your readership.. they are not settled in to read a novel.. they are between work tasks.. they are competing for time off their kids.. they are trying to figure out what they will write on their own blog..

Give these folks something to think about in shorter posts illuminating one or two revolutionary ways of being..

Anonymous said...

I actually find myself getting too overinvolved with the act of blogging sometimes. It strikes me sometimes how it almost becomes too systematic-- I like having more readers, but, dammit, a blogroll of 100+ becomes too much like an obligation some days, and I want it to be about the writing, not a list of things to do, you know? Then again, perhaps we blog for different reasons. Don't make Crushelita wait too long for you!!

Anonymous said...

FWG- I've become a lot more systemised. It's rare I write a post now and put it out straight away.
I used to, I used to compose them in my head and write them as and when. Now I tend to write them as I think of them and save them up. When I have spare time, I write a couple, then publish them when I feel it to be right.

This is actually crucial, because it's in the week I have time issues. Most people post loads in the week and not so much at wekends. So I tend to NOT be able to give proper attention to postysw in the week and be scratching around for blogs at the weekend.

I'm trying to ber more systematic with reader now, actually reading more of the posts in there, not marking them as read.

I am thinking of getting the guest post system in some sort of proper action, yes. I have one or two other possibles in mind as well.

VR- You forget, I'm kind of a single minded person by nature. I have a tendancy to let single ideas dominate my life.

Yes, it's all a learning curve.

I have a feling we'll get there in the end.

Akai- I have a sitemeter. I actually use the stats quite methodically. I track which are the posts that have longevity.

I think this year was kind of a year of growing pains. But I have to remind myself, it's early days yet.

I have about 150 blogs in my reader, I don't comment on as many as I'd like to. Probably about five percent of all the posts in there.

Deana- Well, my view is I'm still young enough to achieve something.

I guess that's different things for different people.

Mutley- I have been thinking that, yes. Maybe more two party posts, etc.
On with the revolution, I agree :)

Kimba- Mine are all, always, dysfunctional. Not quite sure why.

I think it's because I've been looking in the wrong places and attracted the wrong sorts of women.

But I've kind of seen what I want now.

I agree with what you're saying. Sometimes I think I should actually be quite flattered people do spend so much time reading.

It's probably not I should stop doing the more in depth pieces, just I need more short sharp shocks, so to speak.

Princess P- It can take over, yes. I think it is good to take a break from time to time.

I'm starting to experiment with different systems behind it.

I think people blog for a variety of different reasons. But ultimately I think most of us blog because there are things we need to say, one way or another. And we want to say them to the world.

She'll have to wait as long as it takes :)
Anyway, it'll give me time to make sure that for once, I make the right choice on that front.