{"id":6671,"date":"2022-06-15T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-15T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/?p=6671"},"modified":"2022-06-14T17:54:26","modified_gmt":"2022-06-14T21:54:26","slug":"5-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/5-years\/","title":{"rendered":"5-year anniversary"},"content":{"rendered":"
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It’s hard to believe it’s been five years since I started this blog. I originally considered writing some great retrospective with a side of holy crap, I kept this going for 5 freakin’ years<\/em>!! But, then I found a tag to do instead. While I haven’t posted consistently for the full 5 years, I am pretty happy that I’ve stuck with it this long. Here’s to another 5!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This post is inspired by Angelica Nyqvist<\/a>‘s video Well This Has Been Quite The Journey\u2026<\/a>. In that video, she credits Erica Conger<\/a> and notyourbasicsteph<\/a> with coming up with the idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

1. Do you still feel the same about having a blog as you did when you started?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Yes and no. On one hand, it’s still a place to have fun writing about pens, books, etc. On the other, it feels like more of a responsibility now that people are actually reading, commenting on, and enjoying my blog posts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. If you could do anything differently when you started, what would it be?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I would have been more careful about tagging my posts. I keep having to go back and adjust tags. But, I acknowledge that a good portion of that is hindsight and a shift in blog focus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. How has your posting schedule changed since you started?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I started out with an idealistic posting schedule of 3-5 times a week. With a full-time job and a desire to enjoy life outside of blog posts, that just isn’t feasible long-term. Instead of trying to force out posts, especially on topics that I’m not feeling, I plan on one post per week, and add to that when I have more to write about. New pens, book reviews, tag and\/or challenge posts, etc. all add to my weekly post goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. What surprised you the most about having a blog?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

How much work there is beyond writing the post. This one is partially on me. Technically, there’s no reason why I can’t just have text posts. But that’s boring. So I take and edit photos or make images. I create images for sharing on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. And there’s often research involved in my posts. It’s significantly more than just writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. What do you like the most and the least about having a blog?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What I like the most is the chance to write what I want, how I want. I get to be conversational in my writing. I think what I like the least is the guilt when I don’t get a post completed in time. It’s my<\/em> blog. If I miss a week because I’m sick or feeling down, nothing happens \u2014 and I doubt anyone even notices. But I still feel guilty about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Are you able to come up with post ideas easily, or is that a challenging aspect?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes it’s easy. When I have new pens or see ideas that I can adapt from YouTube, it’s a cinch. But, sometimes, like earlier this year, I have difficulty coming up with ideas and have to ask my lovely readers for assistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. How do you think you’ve grown as a creator in the time you’ve had your blog?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I think I write better. And I’ve definitely shifted my focus. When I started, this was going to be a book blog. Since then, it’s grown to include video games, pens, inks, papers, stationery accessories, cats, slices of life, and lots of onesie-twosie posts. For me, that keeps things more interesting. Hopefully it does for you all as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. So far, which of your posts do you love the most (most proud of) and which do you like the least?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

My least favorite post is easy, as it’s the only one I’ve ever deleted. Back in 2018, I signed up to write a review for a book blog tour, but the book was so bad I couldn’t finish it. Part of the agreement was that if you had a negative review, you would publish a different type of post during the tour and hold your review until the tour was completed. So, I just put up a basic post \u2014 rather like an advertisement for the book. I disliked doing that, as, in my opinion, simply by creating a post on my site, I was promoting a horrible<\/em> book. As soon as the blog tour was over, I deleted the post and published my 0 star review.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My most favorite post is harder. There are many posts I’m proud of. I’m proud of the research I put into the recent TWSBI post<\/a> and my vintage pen posts<\/a>, the support to indie brands in my Indie Pen Maker post<\/a>, etc. Choosing just one favorite is virtually impossible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9. Do you think about long-term goals for your blog, or do you focus on the here and now?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I mostly focus on the here and now. Since my blog is completely unmonetized, and I have no plans to monetize it, I don’t really have to worry about future goals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, I’ve been toying around with the idea of creating YouTube videos of some of my posts so people who don’t have the time or interest in reading<\/em> a ridiculously long post can listen to it instead. What are your thoughts?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10. Is your blog where you expected it to be after 5 years?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Surprisingly, I didn’t really have much in the way of expectations when I started my blog. I mostly thought it would be a way to promote my books, but, as they aren’t currently available for sale, and I haven’t worked on any other books, it’s fair to say that isn’t happening. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am<\/em> regularly surprised with how many views my blog posts receive, and how many people mention my posts to me. Clearly my blog has a wider reach than I ever thought it would, and that’s pretty cool. I hope I’m entertaining and\/or helping those who come across my posts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Thanks for reading this far, I hope you enjoyed my post. Do you think I should dip my toes in the video pool? How long have you been following my blog journey? Let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear from you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make sure to subscribe to my blog<\/a> or follow me on Instagram<\/a> so you don’t miss any posts. I generally post at least once a week. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s hard to believe it’s been five years since I started this blog. I’m pretty happy that I’ve stuck with it this long. Here’s to another 5!<\/p>\n

Keep Reading5-year anniversary<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7717,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[107],"tags":[174,169,201],"class_list":["post-6671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-about-me","tag-anniversary","tag-retrospective","tag-tags-and-challenges","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/5year_IGSm.jpg?fit=289%2C289&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Z77k-1JB","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4134,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/pen-ownership\/","url_meta":{"origin":6671,"position":0},"title":"Pen Ownership","author":"Rachel","date":"December 31, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"I've been a \"pen person\" for 4 years now, and I've made some changes to my pen purchasing and ownership philosophies that have improved my collection.","rel":"","context":"In "Fountain Pens"","block_context":{"text":"Fountain Pens","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/stationery\/fountain-pens\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4131,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/2020-pens\/","url_meta":{"origin":6671,"position":1},"title":"Year in Review \u2013 2020 Pens","author":"Rachel","date":"January 4, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Read my no regrets retrospective look at the pens I purchased in 2020, including my top 5, some honorable mentions, and a surprise comeback.","rel":"","context":"In "Fountain Pens"","block_context":{"text":"Fountain Pens","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/stationery\/fountain-pens\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/auroraSunMoonLake.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/auroraSunMoonLake.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/auroraSunMoonLake.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/auroraSunMoonLake.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/auroraSunMoonLake.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/auroraSunMoonLake.png?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13189,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/2024-mid-year\/","url_meta":{"origin":6671,"position":2},"title":"2024 Mid-Year Check-In","author":"Rachel","date":"July 1, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"With the year half over, It's time to check in on my continuing resolution to purchase no more than 36 pens this year. Find out how I'm doing.","rel":"","context":"In "Fountain Pens"","block_context":{"text":"Fountain Pens","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/stationery\/fountain-pens\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/checkIn2023_featured.jpg?fit=288%2C288&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6521,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/2021-purchasing-habits\/","url_meta":{"origin":6671,"position":3},"title":"Reviewing My Purchasing Habits","author":"Rachel","date":"January 11, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm taking a quick look back at my pen purchasing habits in 2021. I didn't do too bad. 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