It's been a good year. This site has blossomed from a tiny little writing blog to a thriving community of writers, artists, and difference-makers.
Thank you for being a part of it.
Because of your support, Goinswriter.com has won a few awards, including the Top 10 Blogs for Writers award from WritetoDone.
I also signed my first book contract and made some new friends.
As a writer, I grew a lot, as well. I developed some new habits that I intend to continue in 2012. I also networked with other bloggers, did some public speaking, and guest-posted all over the place.
I have big plans for the new year, which I'll be sharing soon. But today is a day of celebration and appreciation. I'm grateful for all your support, encouragement, and friendship.
So let's take a moment to look back at 2011.
Top 10 posts from the blog
In case you missed any of these posts, here are the top 10 most popular articles on writing, ideas, and making a difference from this blog:
- 3 Reasons to Travel While You're Young
- Book Ideas for Young Writers
- The Writer's Manifesto: Stop Writing to Be Read & Adored
- Why Your Work Never Feels Good Enough
- Five Weak Words that Make Your Writing Less Effective
- Stop Using the Word “Retard”
- Why I Believe in the Discipline of Travel
- How to Influence People: The Most Overlooked Secret
- What Midnight in Paris Teaches Us About Every Artist
- 7 Reasons Why Your Writing Dreams Aren’t Coming True
Best guest posts
In addition to posts published on this site, I also wrote for several other sites; here are some of the best of those pieces:
- Why Bad Writing Is Essential to Good Blogging [Copyblogger]
- Why You Should Write First for Yourself [WritetoDone]
- Finding Your Blog's Unique Voice [Problogger]
- One Essential Habit of Every Effective Leader [Michael Hyatt]
- How to Get a Book Contract in 6 Months (with a Blog) [Lifehack]
Feature writing
I don't just write about writing, you know. This year, my writing was also featured on a number of online magazines and websites. Here are a few of them:
- Buying Tacky Souvenirs on a Mission Trip [Stuff Christians Like]
- Embracing Raw Community [Reject Apathy]
- The Hardest Part of Dreaming [RELEVANT]
- 3 Reasons Why Young Leaders Neglect Relationship [Catalyst]
- Ending Extreme Hunger with 58 [Raysd]
Best articles from around the web
Lastly, and most importantly, I wouldn't have grown as much as I did this year, had I not spent some time reading other people's work. So I put together a list of some of my favorite articles from around the web. I didn't write these, but I wish I had:
- The Professional's Platform [Seth Godin]
- 5 Things a Bad Dog Can Teach You About Writing Good Copy [Susan Daffron]
- Why You Should Quit the Internet [Julien Smith]
- 4 Reasons It's Easier than Ever to Be an Author [Michael Hyatt]
- How to Get a Girl [Keturah Weathers]
- You Have What It Takes [Chris Brogan]
- Find Your Passion in Three Steps [Mary DeMuth]
- How to Write 300,000 Words in 1 Year [Chris Guillebeau]
- 7 Ways to Build Up Your Writing Confidence [Ali Hale]
- The Single Word that Is Stealing Your Future [Robert Bruce]
- Offbeat Lessons from 3 Late-Blooming Writers [Debra Eve]
- The Cure for Creative Blocks? Leave Your Desk. [Jocelyn Glei]
There are many, many more I could have included in this last list, but I had to stop somewhere.
Again, thanks for reading and making a difference. You've given me one of the best years of my life. I hope yours was great, too.
Now, let's have another.
It's your turn: What did I miss? What were some of the best articles from 2011? Include your own lists in the comments (feel free to link back to your own content, if you think it's worth reading).
