Celebrating five years of write meg!

/ Meg

five years


When I started write meg! on June 3, 2008, I was one year out of college and reaching the end of my bookseller days. A friend has recommended blogging — and WordPress — to me, calling it his “creative outlet.” As I was slightly bored and feeling pretty directionless without college classes to give my days structure, a creative outlet sounded pretty good to me.

I created the site on a whim, set up a Gmail address, and named it based on my desire to make a career as a writer. Or a novelist, more specifically. I wrote a few posts on this and that, and it was fun — but nothing really had traction. My post on a trip to the Newseum netted me a dozen visitors that July afternoon, and I thought I had made it, friends. I mean, twelve people?!

I didn’t have a vision. I wasn’t “branding myself.” I had no real goal beyond keeping an online journal of sorts and, eventually, sharing my love of reading with others. I was 22 and still fresh in the working world; my experiences in an office environment dominated most of my posts. I wasn’t sure I had anything interesting to say, but I’ve run websites — mostly dedicated to Hanson, ‘NSYNC or completely emo poetry — since I was 12. Starting a new one in my twenties was a natural fit.

second designBeyond my personal musings, the book reviews began to appear. I accidentally discovered book blogs in the fall and, like a crash of lightning, I’d found my calling. Books! I could write about books! I missed my endless discussions of Shakespeare and Eudora Welty in English classes, and the chats I’d share with Borders customers were coming to a close. Thinking about sharing my reading life online was like peeking into a long, cavernous hallway. I didn’t know what was hiding behind all those closed doors — but I couldn’t wait to find out.

When people ask if I run a book blog, I say yes. When they ask if I pen a personal blog, I say sure. write meg! has never been anything but exactly what I’m feeling at any moment: a home for my wayward thoughts; a place to explore everything I love.

Have I had blog-related existential crises before? Sure. From time to time, I wonder what I’m really “doing” by spending so many hours — hours and hours — discussing life and books and photography and love and cupcakes right here. At a time when I could have been writing the next great American novel (ha) or going to medical school or something (double ha), I’ve dedicated five years of my life to chronicling the thoughts buzzing around my frizzy-haired head.

But it has been worth it. Tenfold.

I think about all the friends I’ve made (YOU!) and the places I’ve explored and the books I’ve read and the recipes I’ve tried and the overwhelming camaraderie I’ve felt through my participation in the blogging community, and I can’t feel anything but deep affection. Love. I don’t know if I would have believed I’d still be running write meg! five years on from June 3, 2008, but here I am: approaching my 28th birthday; a newspaper columnist; a soon-to-be married woman.

Life. It keeps moving and moving.

I wanted to write something BIG and IMPORTANT on my fifth anniversary, but all I can scribble is something that’s always held true: I’m so happy you’re here. Whether I was writing for one or a thousand, this space has helped me make sense of the world. Of my world. To be blunt, it’s made me feel less alone at times when I felt very lonely.

You’ve supported me. You’ve cheered me on. You’ve congratulated with me. When necessary, you’ve commiserated with and comforted me.

Thank you. I am so grateful.

As I wrote in 2010, blogging has given me the confidence and support to change my career path. Once a quiet editor for three suburban newspapers, the “secret” of my blog leaking is what led to getting my newspaper column. My posts at write meg! stretch across the world, and my musings in my corner of it reach 50,000 readers in print. Seeing my byline weekly in my hometown paper is truly a dream come true, and I don’t think I would have ever been given that chance without the blog breaking the ice.


Some fun stats —
because numbers can be fun!

• Total blog posts: 1,334
• Total book reviews: 378
• Total visits: 544,128
• Total subscribers: 6,740
• Total comments: 14,774
• Most viewed post: Review of Something Blue by Emily Giffin (18,976 views)
• Most views in one day: 4,555 (for the Key lime cupcakes)
• Freshly Pressed by WordPress: twice! (for this and this)


It was true three years ago, and it’s true now: blogging has made my life pretty awesome. Thank you.


36 thoughts on “Celebrating five years of write meg!”

  3. Thanks for sharing your journey with us, Meg. I’ve loved your blog since I found it some years ago and I hope to read what you write (here or elsewhere) for many more years. Congratulations! xo

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  5. Congratulations Meg! I stumbled onto your blog recently and have enjoyed stopping in to visit and now follow you. I understand how you feel about writing I feel the same. I love it. I am starting out at blogging at the ripe age of almost 65. Of course there weren’t any computers when I was your age for me to use and reach the world of readers. My blog is getting a little more traffic and like you I am happy when I have several hits a day. I recently had 76 hits in one day – my highest yet, Yeah! I love blogging. Stop in to visit me any time. I do book reviews too. Enjoy life and best wishes always!

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  9. Congratulations on 5 years!!!!! Your story is so awesome!!! Gives me confidence that I can be successful in the writing business, as well as a blogger !!

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  12. You may be thankful for us, but we most certainly are thankful for you! Congratulations on these past five years, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for you 🙂

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  14. Happy 5 Year Blog Birthday! I really enjoy reading your posts. Here’s to many more years of blogging 🙂

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  16. That is a wonderful post! Maybe it will inspire me to stop bitching about blogging…I’m in a slump of sorts. So many good things do come from it. I’m happy to have “met” you through blogging and happy anniversary!

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  18. Happy anniversary! I’ve always liked the mix of topics you write about, and they allow for even more of your wonderful photos. I remember that old layout, suddenly it seems so long ago!

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  21. Happy Anniversary. Five years is quite a milestone. I just want to take this time to also thank you as well. Your blog was one of the first that I started reading when I began blogging. Your kind words of encouragement gave me the fortitude to continue and I think in many ways it is memories of your kind words and insightful posts that keep me coming back even when my breaks from blogging seem to be more and more frequent. It has been so rewarding for me to get to know you, to get book recommendations from you, and to see you find your perfect little niche in the world. Thank you for sharing so much of yourself with all of us.

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  24. A big congrats Meg! 5 years, that’s amazing! Love your voice, love how much you share with us, love your blog! Keep up the good work 🙂

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  29. Congratulations on five years Meg! I adore your blog and think you are adorable as well. And yes–I know just what you mean about blogging helping make sense of your world and feeling less lonely in the process. Seems funny when typing into a computer screen can seem so isolated but blogging has opened up so many worlds for me as well. Honestly–I think my life would be kind of directionless and boring without the blog. 😉 Glad you’re here. To many more!

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  32. Happy fifth birthday Meg! Wow, time flies by so fast! I still remember when I discovered your blog, years ago. I am so glad you are still here, and that I, like many other, get to read your wonderful reviews, your gorgeous personal posts and seeing your beautiful photography. It’s also amazing how it opened doors in your life!

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  34. Wow! I’m really happy for you! It’s actually a really funny coincidence, since I am not only a book seller (for the past two years), but I also just started a blog (a humorous one). I am also really impressed with the format of the blog. If you have time, could you check out mine? http://thedisorderpodcast.wordpress.com I always love hearing from other bloggers and I want to get this site up and running!

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