I was going to leave today blogpost-free, all the more to encourage you to read yesterday’s post about whether we need a writing center. (Please read, please comment; please?)
But I’ve had this thought I just need to share this week about my co-blogger, Deb Vanasse. You may know that I’d never met Deb before we merged our blogs just about one year and over 100,000 web hits ago, and in that time, I have been astonished by all she accomplishes. She is an organized dynamo. She is also a basically happy and optimistic person, according to her post on Monday, which is a nice balance for my own self-critical, sometimes moody (especially in December) self.
Deb’s inherent optimism might explain why she charges ahead where I tend to tread carefully. For example, about a year ago, she suggested we find featured monthly authors to blog for us. I thought we wouldn’t get many sign-ups or consistent follow-through. She was right; I was wrong. A year later, I can say that having new guest-posters every month here at 49w has been one of the main things that has kept me going and allowed me to keep co-running the blog without burning out. I love meeting other Alaska writers through their posts here.
Last month, Deb told me it was time to find another dozen authors for 2010. I thought we’d already tapped out and/or tired our contributors. She was right; I was wrong. We have a fantastic list of writers who will be writing for us in 2010. I can’t wait!
Deb has many more ideas for 49 writers in the year ahead, and I don’t want to steal all her thunder by announcing news too soon. For now, I think it’s enough to say that Deb is usually right. We plan to keep growing, keep improving, keep reaching out. If it works, I’ll have a lot of people to thank: her, and all of you who read, write, comment, or pat us on the back in other ways. Full steam ahead!
Raise a glass – of whatever you have handy – to Positive People!
When these cold ( Indiana )days turn me into Gloomy Gus, it's good to have those people pushing us into that Place of Positivity!
A good partnership is a beautiful thing. I thank you both for this site. What you two have created is very special and I believe will ripple out in ways you can't yet imagine.
Thank you for bringing far-flung writers closer together.
Raising the glass! It's appropriate, I think, that Andromeda and I together took what some might call a collaborative risk in joining forces when we barely knew one another, to create a space where other "strangers" could connect with depth and purpose. We're both humbled and amazed by the response. Andromeda kindly doesn't mention the downside of my enthusiasm – she has helped me think twice about some potentially wacky ideas, and for that I'm grateful. In short, to teamwork!