The Pittsburgh Writer Never did I ever think that I would reach this milestone, yet here we are. From “AnotherHartmanAuthor” to “Chocolate & Paper” and finally to “The Pittsburgh Writer,” there are a few things I’ve learned about blogging. Today’s Blogtober is all about this website’s brief history.
AnotherHartmanAuthor
At one time I had great aspirations to become a published author. And, according to my site’s old, old title, yet another Hartman author. Not only is my last name Hartman, but there are several published individuals in my family, and I wanted to add my own name to the list. Little did I know that the journey would be longer, and harder, than I thought. After a time it felt as though I was deceiving my readers, as I’m nowhere near publication. So a name change was warranted, and I rebranded my website.
Chocolate & Paper
Ah yes, Chocolate & Paper. The short lived concept I thought I could properly maintain. Did I? No. A sad, resounding no. I wanted to bake, share my adventures in baking, and continue on with projects I knew were dying in my mind. Again, Chocolate & Paper felt like a false persona, and one of my goals with my online presence is to always be as real, down-to-earth, and myself as I could possibly be. Even after all the effort to rebrand, not even a year later it was time to rebrand again.
The Pittsburgh Writer
Finally we’ve reached The Pittsburgh Writer, something I wholly am. Finally, a name with a concept I don’t feel pin holed into. With AnotherHartmanAuthor, I felt disconnected from my family name, even though Hartman was fully a part of it. With Chocolate & Paper, I felt completely fake because I found I didn’t like baking (or chocolate) as much as I thought I did. Not only that, but I felt like I was holding on to a bit of the past – my past. And that didn’t feel right either.
The Life Lessons Learned
While this site has seen steady growth over the last seven years of its existence, I know that I am never going to reach the “tens of thousands” of reads others seem to have garnered in a much shorter time. I am proud of myself for sticking with something for so long, even though I almost quit several times throughout this journey.
I know my writing isn’t perfect, and I’ve always tried to keep it more conversational than anything else. But still, I am proud of what this website’s become. Do I wish I had a bit more SEO knowledge? Or tech savvy? Absolutely. Do I wish WordPress would stop fixing what doesn’t need fixed, and fix what actually does? You bet. However, the discipline I’ve gained just from owning something like this is much more valuable than online notoriety.
And because of that I treasure each and every one of you who chooses to stop by and learn along with me.
