Whoa-dang. Been a big year here.
To my surprise and delight, the site has grown yet again in 2013. We have over 3500 subscribers and this year will take us over the 3 million hit mark which is, you know, it’s mind-boggling and eye-goggling and giddy-making and all that. YOU LIKE ME. YOU REALLY LIKE ME.
My goal as always here is to:
a) try to enlighten/inform
when that fails —
b) try to make you laugh
when that fails —
c) try to dazzle and confuse you with creative profanity.
Hopefully, I’m succeeding.
I see the site gets talked about in different places and seems to have fans up and down the spectrum of writers — from just-starting-neophytes to practiced professionals to the vengeful wraiths of dead authors. This isn’t strictly a writing blog, as obviously I use it to talk about lots of other things (toddler, liquor, coffee, food, culture, things, stuff, doohickeys, pornography, chimpanzees, unicorns, badgers, hobos, Night Ranger, hippogriffs, Cosby sweaters, and dildos).
Plus, it’s nice that a lot of what was here on the blog seemed to connect well — enough to demand the publication of The Kick-Ass Writer, which I’m told is doing well? Woo.
Thanks for checking out the site, obviously. I’ll have a few changes in store for the coming year (one of them I’ll be mentioning tomorrow, actually).
If you have requests for things you’d like me to talk about or suggestions for design changes, do scream it in the comments below and I’ll see what I can do.
You can also ask me things via Tumblr.
Anywho, if you care to see the top posts of 2013, boom. Got ’em below. (These are technically the top 2013 posts of 2013 — the actual top posts of the year include several from 2011 and 2012 yet, too, that sites like StumbleUpon continue to drive traffic toward.)
You’ll note that two of these top posts are by the magical sylph being known as “Delilah Dawson.”
Because she’s rad and you should be reading her books and stuff.
Top Posts of 2013
25 Things You Should Know About Young Adult Fiction
25 Steps To Being A Traditionally-Published Author, by Delilah S. Dawson
25 Things To Know About Sexism & Misogyny In Publishing
25 Hard Truths About Writing & Publishing
25 Turns, Pivots, And Twists To Complicate Your Story
25 Humpalicious Steps For Writing Your First Sex Scene, by Delilah S. Dawson
25 Steps To Edit The Unmerciful Suck Out Of Your Story
25 Things You Should Know About Narrative Point-of-View
50 Rantypants Snidbits Of Random Writing & Storytelling Advice
epheros says:
You forgot goal d) Make us hungry! – Damn chili recipe is still sitting in the back of my mind, stewing so to speak. I might make that this weekend.
December 18, 2013 — 10:18 AM
Justine Spencer says:
Chuck you connect and you connect well! Your follows don’t just like you, WE LOVE YOU!!
December 18, 2013 — 10:18 AM
terribleminds says:
Yay!
NOW GO AND KILL IN MY NAME.
Or at least eat ice cream in my name.
Do *something* in my name, at least.
Er, I mean, thanks!
😀
— c.
December 18, 2013 — 10:21 AM
Jeremy Foshee says:
*stabs at his ice cream*
December 18, 2013 — 10:29 AM
Justine Spencer says:
I KNEW I should have said disciples not followers . . .now off to find my first kill.
December 18, 2013 — 10:38 AM
mattyweaves says:
I’m delighted that I found your blog over the summer. I had just quit my job in June (so taboo in 2013) to start writing. One of those random Google searches on structure lead me here. Then I found you on Twitter and got turned onto a plethora of other awesome writers.
I finished and polished a screenplay, wrote a few short stories, started a blog for practice, and have seeds of a novel started. Most importantly, I can call myself a writer now.
You were a big help in 2013, I look forward to 2014.
December 18, 2013 — 11:11 AM
joebrewing says:
I’d say every single one of your posts at least do b) and c)
I already ate ice cream in your name last night. Ben and Jerry’s Scotchy Scotch Scotch
Tonight I think I will drink some beer in your name. I might take a poo in your name after lunch. As I type this, I am current writing some C# code in your name.
December 18, 2013 — 11:19 AM
terribleminds says:
Beer in my name = good.
Poo in my name = understandable, but far less good.
— c.
December 18, 2013 — 11:33 AM
joebrewing says:
Ok, I think I can go without the poo in your name.
Hmmm…maybe I could somehow name a beer after you when I reopen the brewery in the next couple months. It could be a coffee stout ages with oak chips that had been soaked in bourbon…or something like that.
December 18, 2013 — 11:50 AM
Mad says:
You accomplish every one of those goals. *sniffs and wipes away tear* Enough with the sentimentality!
December 18, 2013 — 11:53 AM
Courtney Cantrell says:
I WANT TO SEE MORE POSTS ABOUT IMMORTAL SEX-WALLABY KITCHEN APPLIANCES IF YOU DON’T WRITE THEM I WILL STAND IN YOUR YARD AND SING “MANDY” AT THE TOP OF MY VOICE EVERY NIGHT FOR A YEAR KTHXBAI.
/ screaming
December 18, 2013 — 11:56 AM
terribleminds says:
Now I’m torn as to whether or not I oblige that awesome request or instead allow the prophecy of “Yard Mandy” to come true.
— c.
December 18, 2013 — 12:31 PM
Courtney Cantrell says:
If the immortal sex-wallaby kitchen appliance posts are cramazing enough, “Yard Mandy” might still come to fruition. DO YOUR WORST, PENMONKEY.
December 18, 2013 — 1:02 PM
Corey says:
Love the blog, love the books, love the creative profanity.
But this from the chili post the other day cracked my shit up for ten or fifteen minutes:
“I WANT POTATO SKINS AND FUDGSICLES OR I’M GOING TO FUCKING START HITTING THINGS WITH A HAMMER.”
It’s the little things. Here’s to another big year, Chuck.
December 18, 2013 — 12:19 PM
terribleminds says:
#highfive
December 18, 2013 — 12:32 PM
Ash says:
I like any posts that talk about beardiness! My beard so phat I wanna do laser!
December 18, 2013 — 2:24 PM
gnashchick says:
I was in a room party at a con, sitting on a hotel bed with eight people I had just met, drinking WAY too much and having a great time. There were about 24 people crammed in a small hotel room, a duo on guitars playing live music, three coolers full of beer, a perpetual “Smooth” and the bathtub was full of ice. In between giggling drunkenly about rejection letters, one of the people sitting on the bed said, “OH! You have to go find Chuck Wendig’s blog and read it!”
So I did.
Now I want to buy you a beer.
Here’s to 2014.
December 18, 2013 — 2:31 PM
Ross Pullen says:
Chuck,
You are powerful,fast and prolific with your postings. I have arrived at this advanced age (70) after sitting on my hands and day dreaming for 20 plus years to finally decide I might put my stories on paper….at least on a web page. I save some of your postings with the goal of reading and gleaning-which I fail to do most of the time. I have had no training or classes (except for required college English courses) and will never consider myself a “writer’. However, I AM A GOOD STORY TELLER..
Thanks for the indirect and sometimes direct encouragements to finally move forward. Chuck….I grew up blue collar,was in the service and have worked in industrial and food service jobs-I can cuss with the best. I just wish you didn’t feel so compelled to use profanity all the time. You are a bright, learned,wise and erudite man for sure. It isn’t needed, trust me.
Thanks if you have taken the time to read this through. Keep up the good works.
Ross@RossPullen.com “Stories & Glories in Word and Rhyme” soon available.
December 18, 2013 — 2:33 PM
Elsa Winckler says:
I have been enlightened, entertained, dazzled and left confused, so I’d say you’ve succeeded 🙂 Thank you for always making me giggle 🙂
Have a wonderful festive season 🙂
December 19, 2013 — 2:21 AM
boydstun215 says:
I keep several pieces of Wendig wisdom taped to my desk area—threats and admonishments mostly—to help me stay motivated and focused during those frequent bouts of self-doubt and excuse-making. It’s been that magical Wendigian admixture of practical wisdom, irreverence, and tough love that has seen me through some real writing challenges.
I know I speak for everyone else here when I say that you, Chuck, are performing an amazing service by helping and encouraging writers to follow their passion for storytelling. And in doing so, you are adding a great deal of joy and personal fulfillment to the lives of those writers. In short, sir, you are the bomb.
Finally, thanks for creating this really amazing online community. Keep up fine work and the high word count! Best wishes and aloha for 2014!
December 19, 2013 — 8:26 PM