I had planned a whole blog post where I would look back to New Year’s Eve 2016 and see what wonderful New Year’s resolutions I had for 2017. Then I read my 2016 NYE post and decided against that idea. Reason being, I have not achieved any of the goals I set for myself for 2017.
When I reread my 2016 NYE post, I have to admit I was disappointed. The Isabelle of end 2016 was enthusiastic, full of energy and motivated to become a published author. I had apparently planned out all these goals and milestones which I was going to hit. I didn’t hit any of them.
Does that mean that 2017 was a total failure? Absolutely not. There were many great things in 2017 and I feel like it has been my most productive year, writing-wise. Just not in the way I expected. Let’s take a look back at what happened in 2017.
In May I migrated my blog from the free WordPress hosting to my own hosted website. I loved the freedom hosting my own website gave me, and immediately set out to customise my website to be exactly how I wanted it. I also wrote my first review for the Pleasure Panel and I have since written 10 more.
In June I participated in the Summer 100 Sex Blogger Challenge hosted by fellow sex blogger Victoria. I wrote more blog posts during June, July and August than I thought possible, but more importantly, I got to know so many other, fabulous sex bloggers and it was in that period that my network really grew.
Also in June I posted my first review of a sex toy which was sent to me by a company, the Ovo E3 G Spot Vibrator. Prior to that moment, I had only reviewed sex toys I had purchased myself. I have since reviewed quite a number of sex toys; some were amazing, some I got on with less wonderfully.
In September my website host disappeared, taking my website with him. It was a dark month in which I was suspended between hope that the host would still provide me with a back up of my website – and the hundred blog posts which I had written since the inception of my site – and despair that I had lost everything. In the end the reality was that I had lost everything, but after some wailing and gnashing of teeth I picked myself up and rebuilt my website. I learned some very valuable lessons from this episode, not the least of which is to BACK UP MY WEBSITE regularly. I do this every month now and save it to my hard drive.
Also in October I became aware of the #iTalkSex campaign run by the Scarlet Ladies. I loved this initiative and have embraced it fully. It gave my blog a bit more focus, and you will see more blog posts aimed at empowering women’s sexuality in the coming months/year. And in November I became a member of Scarlet Ladies.
[Added as an update] I completely forgot that I did a podcast in December. I was interviewed by Dr. Lori Bisbey on my sex love journey and I talked about my struggles with endometriosis, low libido and increased libido after hysterectomy.
In between I have been working on an erotic novel. I finished my first draft early in the year and am now working on a rewrite which I hope to have finished early in 2018. I love the story, so I am not rushing it as I want to do it justice.
In general, I think my erotic writing has improved immensely and I am looking forward to continuing to improve.
When I started this blog post, I didn’t feel like I had accomplished a lot in 2017, but this was based on the goals I had set at the beginning of the year. Reading through all my accomplishments mentioned above I am proud of how far I have come with my blog. It’s over a year old and still going strong. I still love blogging and I love the sex blogging community.
2017 may have been a shit year politically (although there was a lot of hope as well), but personally it has been good. Hopefully I can continue in the same vein next year.