Blog Hop 2018 : My Ups, Downs, and In Betweens on the 2018 Writing Road

2018 was a mountain. Most years are a struggle but 2018 was something special. Not as bad at 2017. At least I wasn’t poor and on public assistance. But, I began 2018 battling my landlord in housing court because they “lost” my rent check. I spent 4 months gathering evidence that I didn’t owe as much as they claimed. It wasn’t even my mistake but if I didn’t do anything, I would’ve lost my apartment.

Then, Oreo got bloodwork done a few months ago. It showed her liver levels where high. To figure out what was wrong, she needed a $500 abdominal ultrasound. I barely have money to pay bills but I had to pay that plus buy the medicine she needed. Oreo’s 10. She’s an old dog and this kind of stuff is normal, unfortunately. I decided to switch her to heathier, and more expensive, dog food. 

I shared my photos in the post NYCC 2018: The Nerds Take Over.

Maps!
I finished designing two maps:

Jael

and Annisa

Sleppy Hollow!
I was finally able to visit Sleepy Hollow near Halloween. I toured the cemetery, learned a lot about Washington Irving and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

Vacation in Peekskill, NY
Oreo and I took our first vacation on our own.

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On Saturday, I want upstate for one night to relax, take some nice picture and just be away from so many people. Since my train is messed up on the weekends and I was bringing Oreo?, I took cab to Grand Central. I requested the cab to pick me up at 7am. By 7:30, it wasn’t there. I called them and they said they couldn’t find my reservation, even when I gave them the number. They sent another car, I didn’t have to wait long. Oreo and I arrived at Grand Central and Oreo went to the bathroom right in the building. ?? .?? Once I arrive at the Inn, everything went well. It stopped raining at around 2 and I had some amazing fish and chips. I had a beautiful view from my window. Finally got some real Fall colors. And, I was walking distance from the Hudson and another beautiful view. Got some writing in, too. ? ? How was your weekend? . . . . . . . . . . . #bibliophile #writersofinstagram #world_bestsky #authorsofinstagram #authorlife #sky_brilliance #water_brilliance #readersofinstagram #bookworm #best_skyshots #amwritingfantasy #nerdsofinstagram #writerscommunity #thegreatoutdoors #fantasyland #fiftyshades_of_twilight #nerdsofinstagram #fantasybooks #spendid_horizon #amwriting #writerslife #fantasy #dream_image #darknessintolight #sombrescapes #darknessisbeautiful #sunrise_sunsets #traveler_stories #fall?

A post shared by Auden Johnson?✒ (@audenjohnson) on Oct 29, 2018 at 10:13am PDT

I just wanted to get away to a place that had very little people and nice views so I could take some pictures. Oreo and I didn’t do much except laze about, go on a walk every now and then. It was so relaxing.

Oh Pinterest
Since we’re keeping it 100. In April, Pinterest changed their layout and I noticed I get 1 million monthly views! I was so happy. Pinterest has generally been great at driving traffic to my blog. But, for the last couple for weeks, my monthly views has been going down and I can’t figure out why. I haven’t changed how I use Pinterest. My blog posts aren’t hitting the way they used to. My monthly views are at 600,000 and slipping.

I’ve tried adding hashtags to my descriptions. That didn’t work. I tried changing post images. That didn’t work. I’ve done research after research and I can’t figure out why Pinterest isn’t working for me like it used to. Did Pinterest pull an Instagram without me noticing?!

There is a little ray of hope. Pinterest still drives over 50% of traffic to my blog, according to Google Analytics.

What did I learn from all these ups and downs? No matter how bad things look, you can always find some good.

I fought my way out of depression. I couldn’t even think of seeing a doctor. No health insurance and no money. When things get tough, focus on what you love. Even if you can’t do it full-time, find a way to squeeze it into your schedule.

I make maps because I write fantasy and they go with the territory but, it’s also fun. I dive so deep into planning and designing that I forget the world. When I come back up, my problems don’t seem that bad. Formatting The Lost Sciell was a lot of work and it was very, very frustrating at times but I enjoyed doing it. And seeing that finished product that I spent weeks on…that’s a special feeling. Like I’m living so high in the clouds my problems can’t touch me.

I also learned that even when I don’t have as much money as I need, I should take time out to have some fun. I had to make some sacrifices so I could afford the fun but, it was worth it. Burn out is real and it infects everything. I, and my family, had to force myself to take a short break. It seemed I didn’t have time or money it. My mind was a mess and I was the kind of tired that my regular sleep schedule couldn’t cure. I returned from my adventure inspired with a lot of great stories.