This week, as it happens, is the two year birthday of this blog.
When I started this adventure, I wasn’t quite sure why, other than that it got me thinking creatively each week, something that was sorely lacking in my life at the time. And it got me back into writing, which I had always loved doing when I was younger, but then had stopped when being a “grown-up” became more important.
Against all expectations I have managed to stick with it, publishing a new story roughly once a week, every week, for two years now. And to commemorate this milestone, Word Press (the wonderful company that provides the blog engine I use) sent me a handy “statistics” summary.
Some of which really surprised me:
- I have posted 106 times since starting my blog. On average, each post has been about 2,500 words, so about 265,000 words in total. That is just a bit longer that Steinbeck’s East of Eden, but if you took every word I’ve written and put it into one volume, it is still only half a War and Peace. Gives a whole new appreciation for Tolstoy’s writing capacity, doesn’t it?
- On average, each post now gets viewed about 2,000 times, and overall, this blog has been read in 144 countries. Not surprisingly this has mostly been in Australia, the UK, the United States, Canada, and Israel. But I am especially chuffed to know that my readership has included random folks in Afghanistan (Salam’u Aleykum! to you), Suriname (Ei!), Namibia (Gâi tsés!) and even Kurdistan (Rozhbash!). Sadly no-one in Iran or North Korea has found me yet, although I suspect (and hope!) that this is not an issue with me in particular…
- I can’t even begin to fathom why this would be so, but the two most read blogs I have ever written are the chapter on Goa in my stories from India, and the post I wrote about life in Singapore and my “harem” there. The blogs that attracted the most comments and likes, however, were those I wrote about my visit to Lithuania, as I tracked down my grandmother’s and my grandfather’s stories. Perhaps understandable, given how deeply personal the subject matter was for me, and also for many of you.
Some things, however, never change. It seems that my most avid reader is still my mother. Closely followed by my aunt.
Thank you all – wherever you may be – for taking time out from your day to read what I write. Thinking of something new to write about, and then writing it, has become a highlight of my week, and an integral part of my life. I can’t imagine not doing it.
You are always welcome to forward my blog to anyone you know (especially if they happen to be travel magazine publishers or literary agents with fat wallets!). Comments and feedback are always welcome, and much appreciated.
I hope you enjoy the next year of this blog as much as I will continue to enjoy writing it.
Eytan
