Finishing post! (blog marathon post 31)

Hi all,

Today is the last day of the blog marathon. 31 posts in 31 days and all I have to show for it is a crazy (but very real) sense of achievement and of course the lovely lovely things that you all have been saying. Absolute music to any writer’s ears—I am no different.

The response I have got here is tremendous. I really appreciate all of you who took time off to leave me a comment, because like I said here, comments or feedback is what any author or blogger looks for. I have been consistently getting more than 400 page views a day! That is a whopping 2800 in just a week! Out of this huge number, it is just a handful of people who have bothered to comment and write in. Most just read and leave. And since most of you who comment here regularly blog yourselves, you all know what I am talking about when I say that positive comments encourage you so much to write. They matter a lot. So a big, deep and a heartfelt thanks to all of you who commented here! You had an important part to play in this marathon story. [Okay and a thanks to all who read too, but could not or would not comment for whatever reasons. :-)]

Many of you have written to me asking me to extend this marathon. (How flattering—I am floating—please lower me gently back to Earth—ah, that’s good—thank you!) As much as I have enjoyed it, I am also heaving a sigh of relief that it is over. The thing is, I have, day after day, consistently come up with ‘good posts’ and not just tags or filler posts (you know what I mean) and I have responded to each and every comment (I think) unless the comment has been made days after the post was published. I have worked hard at my writing. I have sat up every night, long after my children have slept. Usually, we have a bed time ritual where I lie down with them for about 15 minutes and after I finish reading them a story, they talk and talk. I enjoy that so much and look forward to it. Then I tuck them in and leave the room. Some days it has been so hectic that I have not even done that. Satish has been encouraging me so much, holding the fort down, cooking at times, clearing up after dinner, helping the kids, while I sat at my computer writing posts. He has been one person who reassured me to take this up and ‘just do it’ and if he had not been so supportive I definitely could not have done it. I had visitors from India for a week, my son had very important national level exams, my daughter celebrated her 8^th birthday—so you can imagine how hectic it was at home.

Another person who has really helped and motivated me is one of my closest friends--Ajay. He was also very insistent that I take it up. Almost every day he would remind me that deadline is ticking and had I written the post for next day? He would be the first to tell me that my writing was brilliant or outstanding. He would point out typos after the post was published and I'd quickly correct them before they were noticed. Often he would pick out something which was exactly what I had been thinking too and we would discuss it. He made it so much fun, rather than a task! One time, when I was really exhausted, he even wrote a guest post for me (despite being a non-blogger, he rose beautifully to the occasion) and I gratefully converted it to the post for the day by writing a quick preceding paragraph.

Now having finished this marathon, I can get back to completing my second book, which is mid way through. My first is doing really well (I am told by the publisher and by my many friends who check at book stores regularly).

This does not mean that I am saying a good bye! Of course, I will blog. But certainly not everyday. I will try to blog at least twice a week. (and I promise good posts) :-)

So see you around and I know you enjoyed it as much as I did.

Warmest regards,

Preeti