BLOGGOVERSARY

THE ISLAND OF THE VOICES

BLOGGOVERSARY

One year ago today, 5 January 2009, I wrote:

.~. .~. .~.

After some trial and error, it seems I have created a blog!

In choosing the title, I had in mind the Island of the Voices in C.S. Lewis's The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, where Lucy enters a Magician's House to find the Magician's Book, and within that book A Spell to make hidden things visible.

She read it through to make sure of all the hard words and then said it out loud. And she knew at once that it was working because as she spoke the colours came into the capital letters at the top of the page and the pictures began appearing in the margins. It was like when you hold to the fire something written in Invisible Ink and the writing gradually shows up...

I really have no clear idea yet what hidden things I want this blog to make visible. But maybe if I start writing, I will find out...

.~. .~. .~.

I have told the story before: At first, I really only created my Blogger account to be able to comment on my friend Rose-Anne's blog, a penfriend of mine in Australia since before the days of the internet. Once I had set up the account, I thought: Well, since I'm here, why not check out how it works...?

The amazing thing, to myself, is that I'm still here, a whole year further down the road!

I don't know how many times - usually at New Year - I started a diary, and kept entering daily notes for two or three months, and then it just sort of faded out... Looking back in old pocket calendars I've kept, it's the same: It looks in almost every one of them as if my social life is concentrated to the first three months of the year, and then I do nothing until the next New Year. That, however, would be an incorrect conclusion. The notes really only tell you that the first months of the year is usually the time when I'm most keen on making notes! I suppose it has something to do with new year - new calendar - new resolutions...

What makes a difference here in the Blogworld, is the response. When you get the first proof that what you're writing is not just disappearing out into empty space, that's a real kick to keep going...!

I soon realized, though, that it probably wasn't quite enough to just keep writing and hope to be found randomly by whoever - even if that actually did happen a couple of times. But where does one start, to get in touch with other bloggers? I really had no idea!

I tried the Next blog button a few times, but that usually just took me to some blog in a foreign language or some topic I was not the least interested in. (I think some improvements have been made over the last year though, to make the use of that button less random.)

Then I found my way to Blogs of Note which was a definite improvement. When I found something there which I liked, I also went on to visit others who were in turn following that blog - and the world began to grow...!

To celebrate my bloggoversary today, I would like to give credit to four places that served as important "milestones" or "crossroads" for me on my journey through the Blogworld, putting me in touch with other fellow bloglings who in turn became inspirators, followers and friends.

Blogs of Note
Noteworthy blogs chosen by the Blogger Team.

The One Minute Writer (C. Beth)
A blog providing daily writing prompts. I have not continued to visit daily, but it is a great place to meet other people who like to write, and to find inspiration if you feel your mind going blank... If I'm not mistaken, this was where I first got in touch with some of the fellow bloglings who have been on my official Follower's list the longest and are still "around".

Views from Raven's Nest
Raven hosts the Raven's Saturday Wordzzle Challenge. This put me in touch with other creative writers who like to play around with fiction, based on a set of  "impossible" words and phrases provided weekly. It also got me entangled in an ongoing story of my own, which has since been moved from here to separate blog - Wordly Efforts. (If you go to that blog, you will find links in the sidebar there to some of the other regular participants in the Wordzzle Challenges.)

Soaring Through the World in Pictures
A shared photo blog which I came across in July when it was quite new, and joined as number 7, already aquainted with two or three of the other members. I consider myself very lucky in doing so; because 1/ it has been another great place to make friends (last time I checked, we are now 18 members and 79 followers) and 2/ it was a real boost for my interest in photography; which in turn led on to starting a photo blog of my own in September: DawnTreader's Picture Book; which in turn caught the attention of some bloggers previously unknown to me; and so the world continued to grow. (By the way - in the Picture Book, I have started 2010 off by showing twelve photos from last year that I chose for a wall calendar I ordered as Christmas gift for myself and a few friends.)

.~. .~. .~.

Looking back now at my first blogpost here at The Island of the Voices one year ago, I feel almost like reading prophecy or blessing come true. Blogging has brought "colour" into my life, during a year which I fear might otherwise have shown mostly blank pages when I tried to look back.

 ♥ THANK YOU ♥

to all who have kept encouraging me

Monica, a.k.a. DawnTreader

The Blog Library Keeps Growing

For some time now I've had the feeling that it might be a good idea to put my attempts at fiction (i.e. so far mainly my contributions to Raven's weekly Saturday Wordzzle Challenges) into a separate blog, and let this one be about life and dreams and book reviews and whatever else.

My experience from taking part in the Wordzzles over the last 7½ months has been that it is basically two different sets of people who comment on things I write. One set of people (most of whom are not in the Followers list) nearly always comment on the Wordzzles, but rarely on anything else. Another set of people (most of whom are in the Followers list) comment on other things, but very rarely on the Wordzzles.

From this I draw the conclusion that it seems unlikely that I would lose readers by moving the fiction; it might even have the opposite effect in the long run, by making the purpose of each blog clearer.

Thought, said and done: One more blog has this weekend seen the light of day: Wordly Efforts. (No, it's not a spelling mistake. It's supposed to be witty.)

And for those who are still interested in "the other aspects of me", there are links! :)

My total number of followers on any blog is still not overwhelming, in spite of all the awards (total of three) that were bestowed upon me during the last few weeks. This is not to be taken as a complaint, mind you! I am overwhelmed enough with other things as it is. The most positively overwhelming thing still being that people who do follow my writings are becoming real friends instead of just making up a number!

I remarked to one blogging friend yesterday, that instead of increasing my number of followers, I seem to be generating more blogs instead. Maybe I'm heading into a split personality disorder?? But no... It probably all just stems from my deeply rooted fascination with libraries. Everything in its place!!! (I'm hoping for support from at least Scriptor Senex about that view of things.)

Anyway. For anyone who might be feeling they're losing track, here is a library index of my current blogs:

The Island of the Voices (where you are now):
About Life, Dreams and Everything

Through My Spectrespecs
Anything Harry Potter-related  (and you might be surprised how many things to me are Harry Potter-related!)

DawnTreader's Picture Book
Big size photos and pictures; almost daily, but usually without much comment. This is also where I take part in photo challenges if I feel that I have the time and am in the mood for it. Like Mosaic Monday, or Wordless Wednesday.

NEW: Wordly Efforts
"where I wrestle with my own attempts at fiction"
(For example my ongoing story The Slumber Party Mystery, based on the Wordzzles. Actually, at the moment that is the only example; but who knows about the future! By the way - there is now also a Summary of the plot - if so it can be called - of The Slumber Party Mystery; for anyone who feels they lost track, or anyone who never even dared the attempt to jump into it before. All the previous chapters have also been imported into the new blog; and from next week on, Wordly Efforts is the place where the story is going to continue.)

And then there is of course also
Soaring Through the World in Pictures
which is not my own blog, but a place where I'm happy to share pictures regularly together with other people with photo interest from all over the world, on weekly themes. This week, the theme happens to be Simplicity. Hmm...

Quotation of the Week (19/09) - In medias res

"--- it was a conversation begun in medias res, a style of presentation he'd always liked --- for it meant that small talk had already been dispensed with, given that the conversation began in the middle, and in the middle of something the speaker had feelings about."

Martha Grimes, The Stargazey

The Wikipedia definition of the expression "in medias res" is:

In medias res, also medias in res (Latin for "into the midst of affairs (lit. into mid-affairs)"), refers to a literary and artistic technique where the narrative starts in the middle of the story instead of from its beginning (ab ovo or ab initio). The characters, setting, and conflict are often introduced through a series of flashbacks or through characters relating past events to each other.

Back in the 90's, I used to sometimes spend a summer holiday week going away somewhere on a creative writing course. One of the things I liked about these courses was that it was an exciting way to meet people; much like the quotation above. Usually on these courses, we did not bother much about introductions, but dived right into writing, and got to know each other that way.

I can't go away on that kind of courses any more because I can't really do anything "intensive" these days. (I also have difficulties travelling.) I miss that. But since I started exploring the Blog World, I find that this is also a very good way of getting into "in medias res" conversation with people. You jump right in, usually starting with the writer's latest post. And if you get interested, you can go backwards later, to find out more... But at the same time, it allows each one to keep his/ her own pace. Wonderful invention, the internet...!