One Thousand

This is the one-thousandth post on this little website. It’s wild to think I’ve gotten to this point at all. Wilder still that it’s been nearly four years since I hit a milestone here. (Previously: 800. 600. 400. 200.) When I was last here, I had just finished draft one of Gleam Upon the Waves, a book that has been out for a few years now, and a work of which I am incredibly proud. (Now, if only people would read it.)

When I started this blog eleven years ago, I had no idea where it would go or how I would grow. It was a place to track my writing and my little corner of the web, but even early on, you can see glimpses of the future. Maps, manuscripts, and concepts I was blogging about have come to fruition—many in recent years. Here I am, still plunking away.

In some ways, I am glad this milestone has arrived. Writing one thousand posts is something to celebrate. Few personal sites like this remain active for so long, and I am proud of what I’ve been doing here. It’s funny that one thousand arrived while I am currently struggling through a difficult creative period. The work I love, writing, has stalled more than I’d like. I won’t moan about writer’s block or The Struggle. It’s been done to death by so many writers. But it’s been happening. I’m working through it and have plans to reengage.

It’s odd to reflect on what has transpired since the last two-hundred-milestone. So much has happened. If you had asked me a few weeks ago, I’d be hard-pressed to answer. But as I wrote this, I took some time to look back, and it made me realize all I’ve done. I released Gleam Upon the Waves, finished another manuscript, and started writing Book V. I began Raunch Reviews, which now sits at thirty-six entries! “Old Haunts” and “Quiet Corners” weren’t a thing a few years ago, and there are now thirty-one videos between the two of them. I launched a Reader’s Resources section. I built a small empire of free fantasy map resources that drive incredible amounts of traffic to this site daily. (I had over forty-five thousand visitors here last year, and I’m on track to beat that this year.) That’s twenty-six brush sets, and together they amass to nearly ten thousand individual brushes.

Looking back, I was stunned to realize how much happened. It’s been a memorable stretch. A lot has changed, but a lot has stayed the same. I am still writing books. I am still looking for ways to expand the world of the Territories. I am still sharing cool Lovecraftian goodies on a yearly basis, talking about travel, sharing quotes, and discussing horror/science fiction/fantasy. This is still a writer’s blog, just an ever-expanding one. But as I pass another milestone, I can see that trail continues ahead. There is a big future ahead and many more stories to tell.

One thousand posts is just getting started.

I’ll see you at twelve-hundred. Who knows what we’ll find in between.