To reach the number one hundred at anything is a feat, whether it be your age, a test grade or the number of repetitions in an exercise  — a milestone to remember.  I reached one hundred today — one hundred posts on my blog.  

In early 2016, I decided to write a blog, with little knowledge on where to begin or how to accomplish it.  The Internet availed significant guide lines and opportunities.  I subscribed to Bluehost to obtain a URL, and then followed the steps to select a Theme — a predesigned page including text heading, color format and other features, which ultimately led to establishing my blog. The whole process, over a three week period, entailed much trial and error before my blog: “A Writer’s Reflection” became a reality.

My vision entailed writing short essays within a 300 to 500 word range.  My topics would cover anything that piqued my interest at the time, perhaps emanating from a book or newspaper, weather, conversation, quotes or just plain nonsense.  With no topic before me in December, 2017, I even wrote about “Nothing.”  My goal:  to write 20 posts annually — a modest pace of one post for every eighteen days, or five posts every three months.  I hoped to keep at least 5 posts ahead of publication, providing me with a backlog of three months of material to adjust for lean times.  

If followed, I would accumulate 100 posts in five years, sufficient material for a book; albeit, a short book for my family and friends.  Each post would comprise 1 1/2 to 2 pages, stretching to 200 pages without front matter or section introductions.  It turned out to be an adventure, marching through the months, with no map or compass, relying on irresistible urges and new ideas from post to post.  No pattern developed, just thoughts to ponder within a short framework.

At the outset, I doubted that I could meet the projected pace, but started with a list of potential topics and initiated a “blog bin,” folder, where I stored drafts on various subjects in varying degrees of readiness.  When I published a post, I moved the final draft to a blog folder by year.  At the height of my form, I kept five posts ahead, so I had no difficulty in maintaining a schedule.  When I approached  the eighty post mark, however, my blog bin had shrunk to just one or two ahead; and more recently, to an empty folder, leaving me with the uncomfortable pressure to devise a subject and complete a post within the imperfect deadline of 16-18 days.

I had no goal to achieve a readership, but was content to satisfy my urge to write about something — anything — to keep my mind and writing skills current.