Champagne and chocolate
Yes, I'm feeling celebratory today. In fact, it's a double whammy, so I'm feeling particularly self-indulgent.
First, it's Theatre Notes third birthday. In June 2004, I idly mused that a theatre review blog might be a good idea, although I didn't know whether anyone would read it. (See how dangerous thinking is - if you're not careful, it turns into an idea, and before long an idea becomes an obsession, and then you're up to your neck in it.)
It's succeeded beyond my wildest expectations. The readership has grown steadily year by year, to make TN one of the best read theatre blogs in the world. Over the past month, TN has been attracting around 6000 visitors every week. In fact, since June last year, TN has had 120,000 unique visitors, of whom 24,409 are return visits. I never thought I would say this, but check out my stats!
I don't know who all you lovely people are: in fact, part of me is quite mystified. But thank you, from the bottom of my heart. And thank you to all the companies who have been so supportive of this work, especially through the daffiness of the past few months as I've struggled to complete this monstrous novel. And thank you too to the many people who have commented on the blog and made it a lively and dynamic place to be, and to those who have emailed me or buttonholed me in foyers and said nice things, and to my fellow theatre bloggers for your support and stimulation. You have all made TN intensely rewarding in so many ways. I hope that TN and the bubbling theatrosphere (that seems to be the word du jour) will continue to grow as a space for discussion and dissension, a space where theatre can be taken seriously for the beautiful artform it is.
And if I sound a little delirious, well - the other part of the celebration is that I've finally got to the end of that novel. Yes, last night I typed THE END. (I always feel novels should have THE END at the end of them...) It doesn't mean that it's actually finished - there's a brief rewrite before I send it to my editor, and then there's the endless process of editing, copyediting and proofing three separate editions (at least when it comes out in German I won't have to worry about proofing that one). But the awful struggle to actually get it down on paper is over at last.
It's 461 pages long, 135,756 words in all. Those are beautiful stats indeed. But it's actually the end of a much larger project, a quartet of novels on which I've been working for the past seven years. I have completed a story that's about 2000 pages long. I can't quite believe that I've done it. But dammit, I have.
18 comments:
Happy 'The End' Day and Happy TN Birthday!
Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag! hip hip hip.Boyohboy the stats and the NOVEL are impressive but for TN specifically: thanks for sticking your head above the parapet.
Congratulations, Alison! And thank you for your obsession - it's truly kept many people illuminated in a little corner of the world where previously shadow predominated.
Wow! Congratulations are indeed due. 135,000 words? and I was happy finishing my piddly 80k word thesis!
I look forward to reading the new novel - as part of my sanity-inducing process I have now read the preceding three and eagerly await the joining of the two halves of the treesong and the downfall of the nameless one...
and um, yeah, TN is great too (of course!)
congratulations again!
x david
Congratulations on both fronts, Alison. And thanks for inspiring me to start my own.
Congratulations from the Sydney theatre blog branch as well!
(Will get you a glass of the sparkles on the weekend!)
And from me. :)
生日快乐！！！
超牛b!
happy birthday from adelaide … chocolate and champagne!
Thank you all so much - I think I'm in a post-novel daze today - back to proper blogging tomorrow, as there's a bit of catch up to do...
(I knew you were a Good Bloke, David - anyone who likes my books is by definition a Good Bloke - fwiw, I am pretty sure I've pulled off a suitably operatic and emotionally whoosh finale in the last book. I was terrified I would blow it - but Daniel, my first and possibly most critical reader, reckons this is the best yet - and I hope he's right!)
Happy birthday theatrenotes...blow out those candles proudly! Congratulations on typing those two little three letter words last night...that must have been satisfying! I cant imagine Melbourne theatre without this site now...so thanks for all of the time and positive energy you put into it Alison...you have made a real difference! Look forward to catching up soon. Many happy returns and book sales...
Best Wishes
Matt
Well, you have at least two well-wishers in Greenwich Village raising glasses to you and to TN and to Pellinor. Congratulations! And so much more to come, we hope.
Alison, that chart is stunning! What amazing growth in a year. Very impressed.
Steady growth? Methinks you protest too little! Between June 2005 and June 2006, your visitor numbers quadrupled. Between June 2006 and June 2007 they've quadrupled again. That's not growth, that's metastasis!!
Congrats, A. Bloody brilliant.
Will light up a Cuban with you next foyer encounter.
I've been lurking for so long now but on this your special day I have to type something by way of congratulations and thanks.
To think that I knew Theatre notes when it was just a paragraph...my my my look how you have grown.
TQ
Hola there, TQ - I was wondering just yesterday what had become of you, and it's cheering to see you pop up again!
Thanks again for the good wishes. Since all those figures are deeply mysterious - I have no idea why that sudden leap happened in May, for instance, and it could just as easily unhappen - I'll just enjoy them while they're there. The internet is fickle, after all. But TN will be around as long as it's this much fun to do.
Congratulations, Alison, and thanks for such fantastic writings on this blog! So illuminating and thought-provoking.
Post-novel daze is the best. :) Congratulations on that, I'm sure your fans will be thrilled!
And congrats on the blog! It's really all rather exciting for you. :D
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