Last night between making Ethan Canin nervous and telling him not to make a shitty Web site, we talked a bit about blogging and I Will Dare.
“How long have you been writing it?” he asked.
“It will be eight years tomorrow,” I said.
He leaned back in his chair and squinted at me, making my knees a little melty because he might just be the most attractive man on this planet. “That’s a long time.”
“Yeah, I started blogging really early.”
Last year’s anniversary was all about wishing I Will Dare (and me by extension) was something it is not. This year is about accepting, even embracing, who we are.
I Will Dare is not a scenester; it’s not hip, happening, or cutting-edge; it’s not ever going to be the next big thing. It’s okay with all that, because I Will Dare is a lot of things that hip, happening, big thing, scenester blogs are not. I Will Dare is comfortable and welcoming. It is classic and enduring. I Will Dare is probably the best thing I’ve done with my life so far. It has taken me places I never thought I would go both in my life and in my writing. It has made me a better, stronger, more thoughtful person.
Happy anniversary iwilldare.com!
cool. very cool. happy anniversary! =)
Happy Anniversary iwilldare.com! Congrats Jodi! And I think it is kinda hip, in a quirky, Minnesota way.
I was going to go to the reading last night, but I’m not familiar with Ethan Canin or his work. Instead, I sat at The Bad Waitress reading up on blogging.
happy birthday, i will dare!
Happy birthday, I Will Dare. Striving to be hip is a hopeless cause, do what you do because you love it (and that shows on IWD).
(I was wondering if the first paragraph would lead into some Ethan Canin fan fiction, though)
happy anniversary. i wish i hadn’t missed the first six years because i always save this site for last in my google reader. i know it will always be good and i like to end my google reader marathon with a bang.
now. the big question: who has been reading the longest?
That is so cool. I’m pretty sure I’ve been here since the start or at least pretty close. You’re my favorite site, and I am happy to say congratulations on your anniversary. I still feel that funny thing in my stomach when you have a new post. Keep up the good work!
Christa, I am not sure who has been here the longest. Lori’s been here forever, UH has been around since 2002, and I know Wendy at twodolla has been around since the early days.
David, If Ruby could talk there would be a whole heap of Ethan Canin fan fiction here. I nearly killed Peabo about six times on the drive home last night. She had me so shook up that I stopped at a greenlight.
Thanks for sharing your writing. There is good, good writing here at IWillDare–great writing, the type of writing that gets you noticed by all sorts of celebs. You and your site are hip, while I am just plain hyper.
hey! i’ve been around for a while: http://www.iwilldare.com/2000/11/09/oh-look-at-this-its/
Bakiwop, you just might win the prize. How could you handle this for eight years? Are you insane?
the real question is how have you done this for eight years straight? i’ve had more sites – on and off – over the years than i’ve had years of life. further proof you rock!
Oh please, you’ve been here for eight years, you should know that I am not right in the head.
HBD, IWD!
just because you aren’t right in the head doesn’t mean you don’t rock! accept the compliment, d@mn1t!
Make me.
I’m late to the party, but I wanted to say congratulations. You were my inspiration to start my own (vastly inferior) blog, so rock on!