*UPDATED: You can now read the post, hopefully. The irony that I was posting about stuff I've learnt over four years of blogging, and yet couldn't make the post work, is not lost on me.*
Today it is my blogoversary!
Today it is my blogoversary!
To be honest, I'm slightly annoyed that Emily-four-years-ago didn't think to start her blog one day earlier, because then my blogoversary would be the same day as Shakespeare's birth and death days. And my fourth blogoversary would have been the four hundredth anniversary of his death, and it would all have been really nice and connected.
But, to quote everyone's favourite musical, the past is in the paaast ...
Anyway, Ink, Inc. is four today! Technically, this is only partially true; the first time I posted under the name Ink, Inc. was the 17th of November 2015, so the blog in this manifestation is under a year old. But it was way back in 2012 that I started with Emily's Chronicles (an appalling name), which then morphed into Emily Etc., which became the blog you see before you.
I remember something Sunny from A Splash of Ink said, about a blog over your teenage years being a document of growth. I think that's a great description. I was thirteen when I started blogging, and whilst I have enough self-preservation to have moved my oldest posts to a private blog (hence my archives don't go all the way to the beginning), I can still see how I have changed and how the blog has changed me. Would you like to read my very first post?
April 24th, 2012
Well, I have a blog. I’ve always been attracted by the idea, although I’m now wondering…is it egoistical to want something in which you do nothing but write about yourself? I don’t know how much of my life would make good reading; I don’t have an epic project like Julie in Julie & Julia, and my day-to-day existence is hardly fascinating, unless you’re in to descriptions of hour long Physics lessons, so I think I will intersperse these posts with stories and pictures. I don’t want to go on, so I’ll just say: if you’re reading this, thanks :L
And that's it. No title. No ending punctuation mark, just an :L face, such as I frequently overused. (There used to be emoticons like whoa around here. It was a dark time.) Thirteen-year-old me had no clue what she was doing. In many ways, seventeen-year-old me is no better off, but I think -- I'm sure -- that, however cringey it is to admit, writing a blog has changed me for the better. I'm sure I'm not alone in that I sometimes have moments of uncertainty, when I wonder why I'm doing this; as I answer questions in tags or spend hours taking pictures of books amongst flowers, I have an occasional attack of what's the point? There are questions of artistic pride and integrity in there, and I'm a strong believer that filler posts are pointless, but actually, whatever some may say, there is so much use in this internet life we lead! If I hadn't started blogging, I would never have found out about NaNoWriMo. If I hadn't signed up in a rush for Camp NaNo in July 2013, I would never have started my current novel. I'm sure I would be writing some book of some description, but it wouldn't be this book, my book, and that's a horrifying thought. And if I didn't have so many wonderful writer friends met in the blogosphere, it would be much harder for me to continue. Moreover, if I weren't being buoyed along by the excitement of the book blogging community, would I have read half the wonderful books I have? Would I have heard of The Raven Boys or We Were Liars? Blogging has given me so, so much over the years.
Most importantly, you guys are really great! I'm not going to go into paroxysms of tearful love (I am British), but at the end of the day it is the followers and friendships I have built that make all of this worthwhile. There's no point writing books if you don't want people, friends, to read them, and I wouldn't have half those people if I didn't have you. And why read and love characters alone when you can read and love characters with others? To everyone who has fangirled with me over Richard Campbell Gansey III, I say a massive thank you.
(On another note, The Raven King comes out the day after tomorrow. I don't think there's any point using cap locks, exclamation marks or asdfghlks because right now those things cannot convey what I feel.)
I have zero doubts that blogging has vastly improved my writing, opened my eyes to so many new books, and most importantly let me meet some wonderful people. I am really looking forward to going forward with you lovely lot. As someone slightly averse to lots of overt affection, I really want to put something snarky and sarcastic in here, but I'm not going to because I'm being sincere!
Now: a survey! Mostly because I've seen Tracey and Victoria doing it and I'm a little bleating sheep, but also because I would love to have your opinions.
*In the original post I embedded this, but I think it was it that was causing the issues (I have no clue why), so instead, click here to reach the survey!*
And the bit you've all been waiting for: a giveaway!
I feel slightly horrible to make “follow Ink, Inc." the condition, because it feels a bit snooty, but listen, I'm not doing this to try and cheaply gain followers. Instead, I genuinely want to thank you guys, and I would hate for a non-follower who has come sniffing here because they know there's a giveaway on (not that I blame you! I do that too!) to win, when I have you lovely lot in mind.
Savvy?
(However, I do know that some people follow unofficially, so, for example, if you are my lovely new unofficial follower Blue, just say “hey, I'm Blue!" and I will know. Fear not.)
I don't want to drag this out unnecessarily, so go, lead your life. Write that book, paint that masterpiece, don a tinfoil hat and rock back and forth anticipating The Raven King (that's my plan). Good luck in the giveaway; thanks for doing the survey; thanks for making my blogging life awesome!