Time flies, as they say, and this applies to the blogging world as well.
Ten years ago, I weighed up the pros and cons, and decided to start a blog.
At the time, I had no Internet access at home. Every Sunday morning, I would visit an Internet Cafe and post blog articles as I devoured several cups of sweetened black coffee.
Additionally, I’d taken countless scenic photos on my phone but could not upload them, as I had no way of getting online with the phone and my computer was pre-historic (almost). I used to get despondent.
The same applies to music. I’d trained as a concert pianist but hadn’t released a recording.
And the writing, of course. I’d written a couple of novels.
I want to excel in the performing and creative arts, but didn’t know how. I started researching self-publishing and approached it with caution.
The last ten years has contained many highs and lows. A couple of my books almost got accepted for mainstream publication but didn’t make it in the end.
I despaired but continued searching the options.
Using WordPress and other online tools, I managed to create a CD of my piano playing, self-publish two novels and an autobiography, release mp3s of my piano playing, share photography, start a second blog devoted to the piano, and more recently a poetry blog.
I’ve communicated online with lots of interesting people.
Crucially, I was able to fulfil another cherished dream: learning a number of foreign language through online resources.
Not bad for ten years.
I’m deeply grateful to WordPress for their blogging services, and to all my readers and followers. And yes, I gave up the sugar eventually and avoid it completely now. But not the black coffee.
My first post from ten years ago, Hello World:
Lancashire born and bred. I moved to Devon to study piano at Dartington College of Arts, Totnes, and then to London where I have performed in the City of London lunchtime concert events. I also write and am working on two psychological thrillers set in the countryside.
I grew up with classical and rock music, but I particularly enjoy playing piano works by Chopin, Liszt, Mozart and Beethoven. I’m currently working on the 5th and 12th Hungarian Rhapsodies by Liszt, along with some of the early Chopin preludes, Mozart’s “Simple sonata” in C and a Beethoven Rondo (in C). I also enjoy playing the Chopin studies, especially the C minor arpeggio study from the second set, along with Beethoven sonatas (“Moonlight”, “Appassionata,” “Waldstein”).
I suffer from RSI in the shoulders, but the playing really helps (even those mad Lisztian sections)!