Tomorrow marks a special anniversary for me. I posted on this blog for the very first time on 13 October 2007, so that will mark the 15th birthday of 'Do You Write Under Your Own Name?' I won't bore you with too many stats, but in that time there have been well over 3,300 posts and over 2,750,000 pageviews, currently clocking up at 1000 a day. Which is a lot. But the real story, as far as I'm concerned, lies in the personal - the wonderful connections with people all around the world that have arisen as a result of my blogging. Over the years, I've met quite a number of you face to face, and that's been incredibly rewarding. But even if our paths have never crossed in person, I've definitely benefited in all kinds of ways from your interest and support.
In my very first post, I said this: 'The aim is to share my enthusiasm for crime fiction, and the craft of writing. From childhood, I dreamed of becoming a crime novelist - and I love being part of a fascinating world. I’m not only a writer, but a fan, and I’ll have lots to say about lots of terrific and often overlooked books and films, past and present. As for my own writing life, I’ll share the frustrations - and also the pleasures. If this blog encourages any would-be writers among you to keep at it, I’ll be delighted.' And believe me, every word of that still holds good today.
But life goes on and my writing life has changed significantly over the past 15 years - out of all recognition, really. As I've said before, I've been hugely fortunate. In 2007, I'd been a published novelist for 16 years, but I'd never won an award, though I'd been in the running for a few. I was still a full-time partner in a law firm, and I wasn't even a member of the Detection Club, let alone its President.
What has happened since then seems to me to be quite astonishing. There have been a few tough times, as there always are in every life, but I never dreamed so many good things would come my way. (Mind you, my hair is no longer as dark as it was back in 2007 - as per the above photo, taken at the Poisoned Pen bookstore that year!) It's hard to analyse precisely the extent to which the blog may have contributed to the marvellous developments of recent years, but I don't think the improvement in my literary fortunes has been a complete coincidence.
Just as a novel is nothing without readers (except, maybe, in so far as it serves as therapy for the author), so a blog is nothing without readers. So the success of the blog is really down to you, the loyal readers who over the years have done so much to encourage me and build my morale. And that means that the final words of year fourteen of the blog are simply these:
THANK YOU!
9 comments:
Congratulations, Martin! And thank you for providing us with such great commentary and interesting perspectives for a decade and a half. Long may you conintue.
Congratulations, Martin! Here's to the next 15 years!
Congratulations! It's not easy writing a blog for that long. Keep it up, please!
No! Thank you. This blog of yours has been amusing, intriguing, educational and illuminating and has led too many people down far too many (wonderful) rabbit holes - all in the cause of crime fiction.
So the question is: what would we all have done without you? And also - what would the status of crime fiction be now without your enthusiasm and input for the past fifteen years?
Food for thought indeed.
Onwards!
Congratulations, Martin! I'm so glad that there's a place where you can share the many interesting thoughts from your brilliant brain.
I have been lucky enough to meet (and work with you many times) Martin. I love your blog and find its inspiring, informative and entertaining which is what I look for in every blog I follow.
Here's to the next 15 years.
Martin - congratulations on this longevity milestone. Whether it is through your own works or the anthologies you have stewarded with British Library Crime Classics, you have made a significant contribution to keeping interest in the Golden Age Of Detection strong. I thank you for that.
Martin,
Thank you for being so generous with your time and for writing in such an interesting about so many interesting things.
I'm late to the party and can only echo all the tributes paid by others, but want to say how much I enjoy your writing and treasure those occasions when we have met. I don't remember exactly how I found your blog but I know my first comment (it must have been in May 2010) said that having started reading I spent the entire weekend catching up with all the previous posts. Then I started on Harry Devlin, and devour the Lake District novels more quickly than you can write them. Rachel and I have met, but will never be intimate friends...I am too humdrum for her taste, but that's fine by me. As long as I can look forward to meeting Hannah and Daniel again I am content, and wish you well for future successes
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