What Is Blogcraft?

I started my blogging journey in 2009. No more scribbling random rubbish—well, sort of. I still wrote random stuff, but I began shaping it into a proper blog. Progress, you see.

Back then, blogging was simple. You’d jot down your thoughts, then spend ages making them sound smart. (Sound familiar?) People would drop by now and then.

Sometimes, they’d leave comments like "Nice post, mate" or "You're completely barmy." It didn’t matter much. You’d shrug, write another piece, and smash that publish button like it owed you money.

Even in 2009, millions of blogs existed. Most ended up unread, like books in a library during a zombie apocalypse.

Did I give up? Nope. I kept typing away like a mad typewriter salesman. For a while, I even got paid to write. I covered writing, web development, and app reviews. Often, it paid little for many words, but I learned loads. (I’ll explain that in a minute, if I remember.)

Then something wild happened. My blogging led to a book deal. The problem? I had no clue how to write a book. But each chapter? A long blog post, and Bob's your uncle.

Ta-da! I was an author. My blog started getting more visitors than a seaside toilet in August. People asked me questions as if I actually knew something. I thought, "Blimey, I've made it!"

Ha! What a plonker I was.

After that brief glory, my numbers fell faster than my trousers in a high wind. I was back to five loyal readers, plus the odd bot faking interest in my thoughts on breakfast cereal.

It stung a bit, I’ll admit. But I remembered why I started this whole ridiculous thing. I had things to say, and I enjoyed writing them down, even if nobody was listening.

So here I am, sixteen years later, still at it. Still learning, still making a mess, but somehow still moving forward.

That's the true nature of Blogcraft. It’s me sharing what I’ve learned along the way. For you, if you're interested. But also for me—so I can look back and laugh at how much of a numpty I was.

—Well, I’ll say to myself, —at least I don’t do THAT anymore.

Seventeen years, four books, thousands of posts. There’s got to be something useful buried in all that chaos, hasn’t there?

And I hope you find it before the whole thing collapses under its own daftness.