Ten Years A Blogger

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​Ten Years A Blogger

       I've now been blogging for ten years. "Ailantha" was born on December 20, 2013, when I launched the first post.
       However, "Ailantha" was not my first blog; it grew out of a previous blog, "Tighten Your Boots," that ran a few months earlier, from September 1, 2013 to October 29, 2013, as a chronicle of my first trek with Tom of almost 500 miles across the Camino de Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

      That first blog, "Tighten Your Boots," was conceived from a suggestion by a friend a short time before we started on the Camino. I had been lamenting to my friend that when I traveled I usually kept a journal of where I went, what I did, what I ate, etc, but that I didn't like doing much hand writing these days, as doing a lot of writing tended to bother my blossoming arthritis.
          My friend then suggested that rather than writing by hand I keep a journal on an online blog: this way not only would I not have to write, but all my friends and family could follow my journey.
        And so, from my friend's suggestion, my first blog, "Tighten Your Boots," was born (https://www.tightenyourboots.net/). 

       "Tighten Your Boots"  picked up a small readership, and after my trip - and the blog - was finished, a few people expressed regret that the blog was no more.
         It was my sister-in-law, Mary Jane,

...who suggested that I continue blogging.
​        "But what would I write about?" I asked her.
        "Oh, just whatever you're doing," she said. "Your impressions of things."
         And so my sister-in-law's words became - and continue to be - my guideline for "Ailantha." If ever I feel stuck in my writing, I remember what Mary Jane said: Just write about whatever you're doing. Your impressions. And when I can't find the right words, I remind myself to just stick to description. Don't try to dress the writing up. Just tell it, and keep it simple. 
         There was one time early on when I thought I might be able to make some income from my blog. This time it was my son-in-law Miguel,

...who gave me a valuable piece of advice. He said that blogs that make money are usually in a niche category: a cooking blog, a music blog, a sports blog, a decorating blog, etc. He pointed out that people usually don't make money from writing about whatever they feel like saying. On the other hand, he continued, if you just write whatever you feel like saying, then you'll get it said.
            That advice also gave me clarity on what I wanted from my blog: I didn't really want to make money; I just wanted to get it said. And so also I remind myself as necessary, just get it said.
            And this is what I've been attempting to do for the past ten years.
           For those who might be interested in where the name "Ailantha" came from, here is my first "Ailantha" post, published on December 20, 2013.