I love the WordPress notification letting me know that I have now been blogging for three years already! I had thought two years went by fast and so has this past year. As part of my personal three-year celebration, I thought I would share a few things I have learnt these past few years.

3 things I have learned from blogging

1) Everyone has a voice

When I started my blog I started off with just wanting to define some anime terms and basically do a mini dictionary. Then I started to review some anime I have seen and played around with the layout and contemplate what information I wanted to add. I also tried doing a variety of things and I have really enjoyed it. I never really expected anyone to actually read what I thought was writing.

Once I started sharing my posts on social media and getting comments and interactions I found it very interesting. Some people agreed with me or disagreed or told me that they would be interested in now checking out an anime I had written about.

Hearing everyone else’s opinions and reading and responding to their comments is a big part of why I still find this as fun as I do. Whether it’s in agreement or disagreement, I love the interaction and resulting conversations.

2) There are multiple ways

I learnt the hard way that having a schedule and planning out blog posts are not quite for me and that it is okay. I am more of a free roaming and writing spirit. Trying to stick to a schedule becomes stressful for me and blogging loses the fun and becomes another chore for me. Now, I jot down post ideas that I get during the day and take my time compiling my posts.

I don’t rush the posts or force myself to write them. I am rediscovering my joy of writing and am once again falling in love with this space that I have created. This really is my space and as such, I can write when, how and what I wish to write. While regularity is good for views and SEO, that is not what I am aiming for. I am simply writing for myself and always appreciate the people who happen to read what I write.

3) The community is amazing

Face to face I am not really comfortable around people, especially big groups or when I am expected to generate conversation. I find it really difficult and am constantly worried about saying the wrong thing and wondering what to say. I find it hard to continue a conversation as well as find it challenging to get my words across. Which is another reason why I like writing. I can take my time and think.

I know I am an awkward person so getting the positive feedback from the community has been great. So has learning and really interacting with the community. Meeting fellow socially awkward people and having conversations with them have been insightful.

I honestly love the group of people that have gathered around me as a result of my blog and I am more grateful than I can express. Thanks to the encouragement from so many people I have grown in ways I would never have expected and have started doing things I once thought impossible.

I know there is still much to learn and discover. I look forward to the year ahead and seeing how much I can still grow and how I can express my own thoughts and opinions and see how they compare to others while still respecting my own.