January 12, 2012: This Blog
"What are you talking about? You can't stop. You have to continue until you die!"
- Akemi on the subject of my blog.
Well, in all fairness I'm not aware of any contractual obligation that requires me to continue blogging. Strange to think that when I started this blog, back in November of 2006, it was with the simple aim of documenting an upcoming trip to Asia. In those first few days, it would average some 12-15 daily visitors. In later years, at its busiest, it was closer to 12 000. The record was the almost 20 000 visitors who dropped in on the heels of the Stargate: Universe finale.
When I started this blog, I had not intention of continuing it past those initial two weeks in Hong Kong and Tokyo. But, when I returned home, I decided to challenge myself. Writers write, even when they don't want to. Hell, for most professional writers, that's exactly when they do most of their best work. So, I wanted to see how far I could push myself. How long could I go without missing a daily update?
As it turned out, a pretty damn long time. Yesterday, I posted my 1901st successive blog entry. Not a bad run. And since kicking things off back some 5 years ago, this blog has been visited well over 8 million times. According to WordPress's 2011 Annual Report:
The blog was viewed 1,900,000 times in 2011
In 2011, it welcomed visitors from as far away as Tunisia, Mauritius, Japan, India, New Zealand, and Guam.
The entries the received the most views in 2011 = 1) May 12, 2011: Stargate: Universe, Beyond Season 2! What Might Have Been!
2) June 12, 2010: Actress Julia Benson Answers Your Questions!
3) September 30, 2008: An AU Season 6!
5) September 5, 2009: Dinner with Ivon and Brian! Julia Benson! Braving the Tokyo subway system!
The Top 5 Most Active Commenters in 2011:
dasNdanger #1 (roughly doubling second place. Congrats!)
Ponytail #2
Tammy Dixon #3
Randomness #4
Lisa R #5
Talk about dedication!
It's been a lot of fun. And very satisfying. And other times, frustrating, maddening, and disappointing. But overall, it's been an incredibly positive experience that will forever provide me with a detailed snapshot of memories and my mindset at a certain period in my life. Also, some great friends and future book material.
Over the course of these 5+ years, I've both enjoyed myself immensely and come close to calling it quits several times, but what always kept me going was the desire to write, a commitment to my readers, and the very real possibility that, if I WERE to skip a day, you would all assume I was dead.
Well, an early alert should at least address the latter.
1902 is a rather ordinary number to end on and, while 2000 seems mighty daunting at this moment, I figure I've blogged for over 60 straight months. What's three more?
Who knows? A lot can change in three months. I may hit 2000 and suddenly feel revitalized. Set my sights on 2500. Maybe even 3000! But in the event that doesn't happen, then consider this advance warning. This blog may end with its 2000th post. But I don't want you guys worrying about me.
Speaking of writing, I did a little more work on the feature script. It's slow going but coming along nicely. I hit the 7 page mark this morning and hope to have the first draft completed before I head to Tokyo. The plan is to bounce it off both Paul and Ivon when I'm done, then work with both of them to produce a 2 minute trailer we can use as a calling card to shop the project.
Speaking of Paul, I got a call from him last night. He has an idea for a terrific series that, if the timing is right, would be perfect for 2013. We discussed the basic premise and series pilot. He's going to give it some more thought and then we'll convene at some point and start breaking the first script.
Speaking of calls, I fielded one from my agent today. Look like Paul and I are L.A.-bound next week to pitch Dark Matter to some interested parties. The plan, as you all know, is to use the comic book series as a springboard to a television series (or mini-series). I will, of course, keep you posted on our progress. In the meantime, why not pick up a copy of the first issue (Dark Matter #1) that hit the shelves yesterday.
Speaking of Dark Matter, here's another interview I did for the series, this one with Patrick Hickey Jr. at Review Fix: http://wp.me/pVer6-6iU
'night!
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