Don't Give Up - Auden Johnson

You know I had to do this. It’s the last post of the year after all. We’re going to look back at the top posts of 2013. After all this time blogging, I’m still surprised at which posts people like most. This year was full of surprises.

How this one became so popular is amazing.

1. Writing Apocalyptic Stories

You know what’s harder than building a world from scratch. Destroying it and then rebuilding it. I know, kind of a depressing topic but, I’m a dark fantasy writer. We gotta go there.

This was shared… a lot. Many blog posts on the same topic included a link to it. It was also included on a number of Tumblr pages. As you can see in the Popular Post widget to the right, this post is still running strong even though it was published in February. It is too surreal.

2. Creative Insults

How do you curse people out without swearing? Remember the song from “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” That’s how you do it.

Total, total, total surprise. I wrote this post thinking it would be something fun to share. This one took no time to write because I already had the information. The popularity of this post blew me away. A lot of people shared it.

3. Review: The Conjuring

Horror is making a comeback! My favorite, favorite, favorite type of story is the haunted house tale. This is the epitome of subtle horror. I love it. So, when I found out they were actually releasing an old school haunted house movie, I was beyond excited. The Conjuring didn’t disappoint.

It is still amazing how popular this movie was. I mean, there was little special effects and gore, yet people loved it. There’s still hope for this genre.

4. Review: Pacific Rim 3D

I had a total nerd moment when I first saw the trailer for Pacific Rim. It’s like a live-action anime- only it doesn’t look stupid! Every time I saw a movie poster or a new trailer, I got really happy. This is like the ultimate nerd movie. I mean come on, a major trope in anime is giant piloted robots being used to fight the world’s problems. I seriously can’t believe they actually made a movie like this. It’s like a video game and anime in one!

You guys seem to like my movie reviews! This was the year of the nerds! They actually made a movie about giant monsters fighting giant robots and it wasn’t a B-Movie. I am so glad they didn’t mess this one up. That would’ve been so disappointing.

5. Naming Your Fantasy World

As if naming our characters wasn’t hard enough. On top of that, we have to name lands, buildings, foods, cultures, mountains even treaties and wars. The list goes on and on. How can we possibly come up with so many?

Having a blog gets you thinking about how you write. For me, I just write. I never think about how I come up with things or how I keep track of every information. I just do it. I had to dig deep for this post. I am so glad you guys found it so helpful.

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For all you bloggers out there just starting out, remember, getting some traction takes time. It took me three years to get here. Even now, I still have trouble determining which posts will be popular. I got a bit discouraged this year because my blog posts weren’t getting the pageviews I wanted.

Keep at it and remember to have fun, be yourself and don’t be afraid to experiment! There will be posts you work hard on, but still get a tragic response. Don’t let it discourage you.

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Today’s the last day to get Visible Through Darkness for free. If you haven’t gotten it yet, check it out. For those who have read it, whether you liked it or not, I’d love to know your opinion. Please review it!

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