One Hundred Posts, Three Quotes, and One Big Thank You!

September 19, 2015Sue Archer 62 Comments

I can’t believe Doorway Between Words is celebrating its 100th post!

Back when I started this blog in March 2014, I had a goal to write once a week. I managed to stick to that schedule most of the time. I even took up the gauntlet and wrote for twenty-six days in April during the 2015 A to Z Challenge.

What’s kept me motivated to write is my incredible community — all of you who have read, liked, and commented on my posts. I hope you’ll all still be with me when I reach 200 posts. 🙂

It seems appropriate that I have also just reached 300 blog followers. Thank you to all of you!

I have been remiss lately in posting additional thanks to those of you who have given me blog awards. I appreciate each and every nomination, even if I don’t always have the time to write up seventeen random facts about myself.

Here are some special individuals who have nominated me for awards in the past few months:

Alex Hurst, for her must-see Must-Read Blog Award

Lori MacLaughlin, for the Creative Blogger Award

Bradscribe, for the Liebster Award

Shawn, for the Real Neat Blog Award

Nimmi, for the Premio Dardos Award

I have also received a request from La Sabrosona to participate in the Three-Day Quote Challenge. I thought I’d share three of my favourite quotes that seem appropriate today:

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.

Mahatma Gandhi

I wrote about the importance of integrity and communication in Would Your Captain Be Proud? It’s still one of my favourite serious posts. When I write this blog, I feel like I can be me in all my forms — my serious side, my zany side, my scholarly side, my imaginative side. Thanks for making me feel comfortable being me.

The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.

George Bernard Shaw

I have this one up on my sidebar for a reason. It reminds me that communicating involves more than one person, and that thinking about your audience is the single most important thing you can do when writing. You are why I am here. Otherwise I’d be writing to the coldness of cyberspace, and who needs that?

Just do it.

Nike

I dithered a bit before I created this blog. What if I didn’t like it? What if I didn’t know what to write? What if it was a spectacular failure?

Sometimes, you just need to do it — take on those challenges and see where they take you.

This one’s taken me to a really great place. And I’m glad you were here to come along with me for the ride. 🙂

Love to you all,

Sue

Image by Kirsty Hall via Flickr/Creative Commons

Reader Poll Results: Blog Changes for Year 2

March 9, 2015March 9, 2015Sue Archer 10 Comments

Thanks to everyone who participated in my reader survey. I’d like to share the results with you and talk about some upcoming changes to my blog. (Don’t worry – things aren’t going to change that much!)

Poll Question 1: I love sci-fi/fantasy, but I’m thinking about expanding to include references to other genres I enjoy, like mystery or romance. What say you?

73% of you said expand away. The rest of you are not big sci-fi/fantasy fans, so you would be happy if I wrote about other things.

I expect I will still be using a lot of sci-fi and fantasy references in my posts, but I am going to leave the door open for other inspirations to come to me as I write.

My tagline now says “Communication tips with a creative twist.” It’s official. Time to explore!

Poll Question 2: I’m thinking about occasionally posting some short stories / flash fiction. What do you think?

92% said of you said to go for it. Thank you for your faith in my capability to write good fiction stories! For those of you who like things the way they are, I’m not planning on going crazy with writing fiction. I see it as a once-in-a-while thing where I post something that I feel my readers would like. It may not happen right away, but stay tuned!

Poll Question 3: I’m thinking about posting on a regular weekly schedule. Which time of the week works best for you?

This one kind of surprised me. 75% of you said any time, any day, random goodness is fine with you. Only 8% of you wanted a consistent day. In a way that’s reassuring, since most of you will find me regardless of when I post. To keep myself honest and help me write consistently, I will pick a standard post day, with the idea that there may be the occasional extra posts thrown in. I’ll announce the new posting day after the April A to Z Blogging Challenge.

Poll Question 4: Which of these post types would you like to see more of in the future? (You can pick as many as you like. Hopefully, there’s at least one!)

Here’s what you asked for:
Grammar and writing tips with a creative twist    38%
Conversation Corner: interviews with tips from others 19%
Personal stories about communication        19%
DBW Reviews: Reviews of writing resources    16%
Tips on presenting and public speaking       6%
Observations on building relationships       3%

This fits nicely with what I’ve already been doing. I’ll continue to focus on creative tips, with (hopefully) regular interviews and resource reviews added in to the mix, along with some of my personal stories about communication.

Thanks again for letting me know what you think. I hope you enjoy the second year as much as I’ve enjoyed writing the first.

All the best,

Sue

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

It’s DBW’s First Anniversary! Have Your Say on Changes for Year Two

March 2, 2015March 1, 2015Sue Archer 25 Comments

Dear readers,

It’s now been a year since I started blogging on Doorway Between Worlds. When I first started this journey, I had a vague hope that somebody out there would read my posts (and maybe even enjoy them). Everything that has happened since then has far exceeded my expectations, and it’s all thanks to you!

This past year has been an incredible experience. What started as an experiment in writing creative posts to help others with communication has evolved into a wonderfully collaborative effort. I have met so many wonderful people. I have participated in fascinating conversations that have sparked new ideas and brought new energy to my writing.

Thank you for being such an amazing community of readers. Next month’s 26 alphabet posts for the April A to Z Blogging Challenge are dedicated to you. 🙂

So what’s happening after April? Here’s where I need your help.

Those of you who have followed for a while know that the focus of the blog has changed a bit over time. I’ve expanded the types of posts I have written about to try and meet the needs of my readers while keeping myself motivated to write.

Once the April challenge is over, I’m thinking about further changes to DBW. And I want to hear what you think. If you’d like to help me plan for a successful second year, please take a couple of minutes to answer today’s four poll questions.

With gratitude,

Sue

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Picture by Vojta Jahoda, Source: Wikimedia Commons

Have other ideas for what you’d like to see? Please share!