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Nico's avatar

¡Feliz doscientos! I think it's good to get another person's thoughts sometimes, because I don't want everyone to think like me, nothing would ever quite get done.

The wanders around the PNW posts are probably a favorite. When I was younger, I wanted to have a lot more traveling done, but the older I get, I realize it's quite valuable to always have more to explore.

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Anne Murphy's avatar

Thank you! With a newer trailer, we'll feel more confident traveling further afield. I would love to go back to Yellowstone, and visit the John Day Fossil Beds area. And the Redwoods. And, and, and... so much to explore!

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Nico's avatar

We're verrrry tentatively planning a road trip to see the in-laws in the Sierra Nevadas, so we'll likely be chucking a tent into the back of our car. It seems like having an actual bedsit-on-wheels makes everything much easier!

I can vouch for any and all Redwoods, especially as you dig roadside attractions, Trees of Mystery. FOSSIL BEDS PLEASE!

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Hunter's avatar

Can your start an Instagram for the meals Michael makes??? :)

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Anne Murphy's avatar

Hmmmm... maybe there's a solution that isn't owned by Zuckerberg.

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Hunter's avatar

I'm just catching up to the Inktober fiasco. Wow, Jeff Parker sounds like an opportunistic creep.

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Anne Murphy's avatar

Right?!!

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Holly Rabalais's avatar

Congratulations, Anne!

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Anne Murphy's avatar

Thank you Holly!

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Mark Dolan's avatar

quite a milestone. I only recently began writing and have already had one 3 month sabbatical. Making it a disciplined habit is admirable.

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Anne Murphy's avatar

I did manage to burn myself out, due to the amount of time I was spending every Sunday writing my posts. I enjoyed it, but it got to be a bit much and I didn't have time for other things. Rest is always good!

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Mark Dolan's avatar

Your writing feels personal and that makes the generation of content on a schedule very hard I would imagine.

I did an inordinate amount of technical writing in my career and had a novel in mind for a retirement hobby. The engineering bent in me meant join a creative writing group, have a process, and get repetitions. I wrote daily for the first 45 days and only then began to even actively wonder if I had subscribers. I have never sent to my BIG email list but just let it be organic. The burden of readers is interesting to me. Looking backward, I am glad I wrote so many of the early posts JUST FOR ME.

After being comfortable with process of writing, I backed down from 7 to 4 and then 3X a week. Then took a long sabbatical. I am now 2X a week and that feels right for now. I expect to SPLIT my Newsletter into two soon. I think it is an unfair burden on readers to ask them to read my stuff 2X a week. I am grateful to those that have tried to keep up especially when it was daily. We all have our approach I suppose.

For me, I now focus on 8 minutes or less 2X a week. I hope that I might split the Newsletter into topics of the past and topics of the future very soon. All of this, in my crazy head is to preserve time for all of my other hobbies and interests to balance and explore. I mention earlier the burden of readers. It is funny as I am now gaining subscribers at a steady but modest clip. I promised to write for me but feel a strange allegiance to see what works for them also now.

I still lack the discipline of a prescribed writing time. I write when I feel like it and generate lots of drafts, many of which may never make it through to posting. I write in small bursts just when I feel like it. I don't get anxious about keeping up anymore as I knew, with my personality, it would just be better to write them in advance and forward schedule them. It takes all kinds to make a world.

Here's to the next 200

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Anne Murphy's avatar

Finding the balance between everything is the hard part! I briefly had a second newsletter where I ranted about Covid things, because I didn't want this newsletter to be overtaken by that. I've also considered starting another newsletter that would eventually go to paid subscriptions, but am not sure what I'd write about yet. Not to mention the pesky day job that takes up a big chunk of my time.

I have a lot of friends and family who read this newsletter, and it's a good way to keep people up to date if they're interested. I've made some new friends via newsletters too, and I'm finding this format of communication much more satisfying that social media. Long form communication take effort! I commend you for the effort you're putting into your newsletter. It will all fall into place. I don't worry too much about the number of subscribers I have, I just enjoy writing.

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Mark Dykeman's avatar

Congrats on 200!

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Anne Murphy's avatar

Thank you!

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Alma Ramiro Alonzo's avatar

Wow, Anne. Congrats on this milestone. I admire your commitment to writing. 180 and n a row! But I’m glad that you were able to take a break and then come back to writing. I love any and all pics of Rowland. And thanks for the mention.

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Anne Murphy's avatar

Thank you, and you're welcome! Rowland is very happy these days and spends a lot of time in his "zen" position. I think he's just trying to look cute so we give him more treats...

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Bryn Robinson's avatar

Congrats on 200, that’s impressive. And thanks for sharing the prompts. I did the SciArtSeptember so took a break from the various October ones, although really enjoyed Botober last year.

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