I realize I’m reviewing 2007 a little later than most people. And it seems a little backwards to have already posted my goals for 2008 before examining the last year. But I find that I usually know what I want to achieve, regardless of where I’ve been. Looking back helps me refine my methods of pursuing my dreams.

My goals for Here to Create have always been to offer what help and insight I can to my readers, while exploring my own creativity and writing regularly.

For 2008, I want to increase the usefulness of my posts and establish a regular blogging schedule, so I used the Google Analytics stats I have for Here to Create to examine the most popular posts from last year. Here to Create is only about four months old, but already I can see some trends.

Top Five Posts for 2007

By far the most popular post on Here to Create from 2007 is Simple Photo Editing Using GIMP. When I wrote this post, I never anticipated the reaction it would receive, but it’s been stumbled frequently at StumbleUpon and Google searches for GIMP tutorials have brought many new visitors to the blog. I’ve been meaning to do another tutorial for GIMP, and the success of this post encourages me to continue to develop my skills so I have more to share with my readers.

10 Reasons to Get Up Early and 4 Tips How is the second most popular post, also frequently stumbled. One trend I have noticed is that list posts, as well as “how-to” posts, seem very popular. As a frequent blog reader, I understand the reason: when I read something that inspires me to take positive action, I’m more inclined to bookmark the article and recommend it to others. I’m glad to see that some of my posts have had that same effect on people.

9 Tips to Be More Creative is another popular list post. Again, I think the success of this post had something to do with the easy-to-read formatting, and also the universal desire to be more creative. One of my plans for Here to Create from the beginning was to incorporate research and tips on general creativity, and I intend to emphasize this more in the new year.

85 Resources for Fiction Writing is a post I had hoped would be successful, and I was pleased to see it made it into my top five for the year. Even better, my stats show that readers visit this post again and again. My intent is for this list to be an ongoing collection of links, updated regularly and improved with brief descriptions of the content of each resource.

Stuck in a Creative Rut? Read These Inspirational Articles and Break Free is a list of articles about creativity. I have always tried to balance Here to Create by including not only my own experiences, but also links to relevant information. I read so many things that I’m sure readers will find useful that I sometimes have to restrain myself from posting lists like this all the time.

Overall, the most popular posts of 2007 were about creativity in general, a topic that can be valuable for nearly everyone. I will certainly try to maintain Here to Create’s appeal to a broad audience. Still, I was greatly encouraged by the success of my two posts on GIMP and fiction writing. I will also, in 2008, write more posts that narrow in on specific topics.

As I look back not only on what I’ve written in 2007, but also what I’ve read, I’ve come up with more concrete steps to create useful posts for my readers. In my favorite blogs, I prefer the clear formatting of lists and short paragraphs. But I also like some variety in the types of posts from one blog: some how-to, some generally informative, some with a more personal slant. I’m going to attempt to create a more satisfying mixture of post types and topics in 2008.

The clearest effect of blogging on my personal creativity has been a significant boost to my goal of writing regularly. For most of the four months Here to Create has been in existence, I blogged every weekday. Recently, I’ve been blogging much less, but my other writing has really taken off. What I’ve learned from blogging every day, though, is that regular practice makes writing easier, because I think of my life in terms of writing. Every experience is potential fodder for a blog post or another piece of writing.

If you haven’t already moved on to the new year’s goals, what did you learn from 2007? How are you applying the lessons you learned to the future?

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