I know we are not at the end of the year yet but I couldn’t wait. Yes, I am the kid on Christmas Eve wanting to open all of the presents early. And. let’s be honest, every blogger or writing site is going to be a doing a post like this. Why not be ahead of the curve?

So that’s me- Mr. Ahead of the Curve.

Before I get to my favorite posts, let me begin by saying how much I got a kick out of running this site this year. As a writer it has been very satisfying. Over the course of one year, I went from zero followers to 213 with over 25000 views this year alone. That is pretty awesome in my book, and just as satisfying this blog gave something back to me as a writer.

• I was able to share fiction; things I have cared about that have been collecting dust around my house (and in my brain). The Dante Experience radio series is once again available to listen to, along with the unproduced scripts of the sequel.
• A new collection of short stories, Upon The Ground, was shared on Green Spot Blue.
• And I am writing a new book, Permanent Spring Showers, right here live for all to follow along… and many do!

A lot of what drives me and this site right now are you the readers. I know people say things like that all the time, but I am being very honest. You have no idea how powerful a like and a comment can be in spurring me forward, inspiring me. I might have abandoned this months ago if it wasn’t for the numbers and the responses. So this year, I am the most thankful for you the readers.

Thank you.

Here is my list of my favorite posts in no certain order…

“My Time With Mites”

A socially awkward post to lead with, but this is the first post I created for the site where I began to realize the potential for blog writing.

Yes, not one of my best pieces (but I always have issues rereading old stuff, it’s why I can never read my books after publication; I want to change everything), but very important for me as a blog writer. There are SO many sites that try to tell you how a blog is supposed to be written. I’ve never followed those rules, so this strange little post about bugs and parenting is possibly a little revolutionary… Well, not really, but it was fun to think that for a second. I hope you enjoy my parental panic.

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“Missing My Vonnegut Moment”

I think it is important for readers and especially writers to celebrate the greats that influence and inspire us. In our art form, they are like our Monets, our Picassos. We should not add zombies to their masterpieces, but we should collect nice hardcover additions and we should give them to the next generation when they are ready to read them…

Okay, I am off my soapbox now.

Vonnegut was my favorite of my author/writing pieces, and one of my biggest writing heroes. Also, I tried to capture his voice throughout the entire piece. I think I did a good job. What do you think?

So it goes.

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“Life’s After Thoughts”

You want to get readers to your blog, write about pop culture like TV shows; definitely not personal stuff and books. Yet, for me as a nonfiction blogger it is the personal stuff that means more to me. A great example of that is this lost little piece.

There are moments in this post that breaks my heart each time I read it. Maybe that is just because it is about me and two people I love dearly and miss, but it is there.

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“A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to My Vasectomy”

Yeah, I’m including this piece.

Sure, I could have pointed to the high school piece that moved an entire community of old graduates or other personal essays around kids and life, but this one will always stick to me… Now why did I write it? Well, after having the “operation” I had jokes made at my expense.

A lot of jokes, even by family.

At first I brushed them off, allowing people their little chuckles, but after a few days I was angry. This was my personal experience and I am going to claim it as mine, damn it!

The result… this comic little editorial, thank you very much.

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“Drowning in Tweets: A struggling author tries to understand Twitter”

Whenever I get new followers on Twitter (Hello to my 8255 followers!), I love to share this article with them, especially if they are fellow writers.

I’ve had some really nice reactions to this article, some very flattering. One told me that after starting twitter she read a bunch of articles on Twitter and mine was the best. You can’t buy a compliment like that…

Okay, actually, you can buy a compliment like that if you want, but it is nicer when you don’t have to.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

And, as always, thank you for reading!

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If you liked reading the editorial, why not check out some of my published books? I had two novels published in the last few years, My Problem With Doors and Megan. You can find them via my amazon.com author page here, or as an eBook on Google eBooks here.  My new book, A Jane Austen Daydream will be released in December. Thanks for reading!