When I tell people I’m a writer, I get a variety of responses. One common question I receive is, “Have you written anything I’ve read?” To which I answer, “It depends on what you’ve read.”
I work full-time to support myself and maintain my health insurance. Most people know that. What they don’t know is that I spend 20 to 30 hours a week writing. I’ve written a novel, several short memoirs, dozens of short stories, tons of poems, and as of today, 500 blog posts.
This is a huge milestone for me. My blog has been read by thousands of people in over 70 countries. My family and friends ready my blog, of course, but so do a lot of other people. I met an Ozarks Maven fan at a writers conference in Arkansas last fall. She was the sweetest person you’d ever want to meet and excited to meet me. When she came up to me and introduced herself as one of my fans, I felt about 10 feet tall.
I recently had to make a decision regarding this blog. I had to decide if the operating cost was worth my time and money. From a business standpoint, this is not a good investment.
When I began Ozarks Maven in 2017, my goal was for it to be self-sustaining, meaning I hoped it would pay for itself through my advertising links. That’s been an epic failure. I’ve made a little over $20.00 in three years, and it costs me over $600.00 a year to keep the blog going.
I ultimately decided to keep blogging because I’m reaching so many people. I’ve had readers reach out to me and express their appreciation of certain posts or share a memory I sparked. I’ve had lively discussions and heartfelt confessions thanks to this medium. I’ve been able to share original work with people I’d never reach otherwise.
Writers write to have their words read. Ozarks Maven has afforded me the opportunity to reach people worldwide with my words. That makes me a writer with a good readership. As I stand on the precipice of publishing my short story collection, I can’t imagine doing such a thing without sharing my joy with my readers.
I feel like I’ve made friends all over the world, and that’s worth every penny I spend. Thank you for reading 500 Ozarks Maven posts, and I hope you’ll stick around for the next 500!
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