Back when I began my daily blogging challenge back in 2015 Painfully Hopeful had been laying dormant for a few years. I’d kept the domain active, but hadn’t found time to give the site a voice.

2015 changed all that, and the audience began to grow along with the number of posts I published. I began “Fiction Tuesday,” and used it to write a novel! Then, when that was finished, I began work on a second novel. More than anything else, knocking that achievement off my bucket list has been the most rewarding point of my blogging journey.

Watching the audience for Painfully Hopeful grow, however, has also been gratifying. I set out some personal milestones for readership at the beginning of each year. My desire is to reach these markers through consistent posts and without catering to topics which I think will draw in readers. This keeps my journey a discipline, rather than work.

In my first year of daily blogging, my personal goal was to hit one hundred likes in a given month. It was a milestone I hit once, during NaNoWriMo. In 2016 my goal was to see how many months I could reach one hundred likes, a milestone I missed only one time all year. As Painfully Hopeful’s audience continued to grow I set a new personal goal for 2017, two hundred likes in a month. I’m thrilled to say, “Achievement Unlocked!” Painfully Hopeful received it’s two hundredth like for the month on July 26 ¹. I don’t blog for recognition, but it’s always nice to know people are following this journey.

Over these three years I’ve been in some interesting conversations with readers, struck up some pen-pal friendships, and been introduced to some fantastic writers and photographers. I can’t wait to see what the future brings.