On January 3, I published my first post here at Waiting on a Word.   I wanted to get started and see how it felt before I invited any followers.  I was so nervous hitting the “Publish” tab, even though I knew nobody would read what I wrote.

I posted two or three more posts, still too afraid to share.  That all changed a few days later when my friend L. instant messaged me.  After our usual chatting and gossiping (focusing on celebrities and sports), she asked me “how my writing was going.”  L. isn’t a friend that I typically confide in about writing, so the fact that she remembered that I liked to write and happened to ask about it that day was a sign for me.  A moment of bravery overcame me and I told her that I started a blog, and held my breath.

Of course she was excited and supportive.  I asked her if she wanted to read it, and she did.  I told her she would be my first follower.  I thought that letting L. read it before my usual writing “advisors” would give me a sense of whether or not it was any good.  After a couple minutes, L. told me that she loved it.  I think L. said something along the lines of “it’s like listening to a friend,” which to me was a great compliment.

L.’s nice words gave me my first chunk of confidence, and then I started, little by little, inviting followers.  Today, I have 57 followers!  I know that’s not a lot in the grand scheme of things, but for me, that’s crazy.  Even people I don’t know “Like” my posts and follow me.  Of course, it helps that WordPress doesn’t offer a button next to the “Like” button that reads, “This is Crap Please Stop”  because who knows how that would change the stats.  But starting this blog has been really great for me, and people seem to enjoy it.  So thank you for reading.  And thank you L. for taking my blogging virginity 🙂

Now back to our regularly-scheduled postings . . .