What were your essential lines from 2009?
- What were the posts from 2009 that matter: that mattered to you when you wrote them, that mattered to your readers, that still matter to you now?
- What were the posts that captured what your blogs are all about?
- What were the posts that reflected what 2009 has been about, for you or for others?
- What were the posts that modelled essential writing?
Here are the answers from the Confident Writing community.
I hope you enjoy reading them as much I did. Thanks to everyone who took part.
Editor’s Note:
I’ve included a link to the post explaining your choice (if you wrote one), the reasons why (if you gave them), and the essential post you selected. Some of you didn’t manage to boil it down to just one post… in which case I selected the one that resonated most with me. Editor’s choice is final!
~~~
1. Deb, Punctuality Rules, Back to Essentials
Essential Post
Writing Makes Everything Possible
A Line from the Post
Writing–just the mere act of putting words on paper–shapes the possibilities of our lives. Things we’ve learned. Things we want to share. Things we want to pass on to other people and other generations. Ideas. Philosophies. Poems. Emotions. Stories. Drama. Comedy. History.
~~~
2. Brad Shorr, Word Sell, My Essential Blog Post of 2009
Essential Post
The First Online Marketing Question Is, What Are My Keywords?
Why?
Amongst other things it…
# Put forth a sensible and somewhat different strategic approach to and process for content development
# Explained the connection between blogging and SEO
Line from the Post
“You can do SEO after the fact, but it’ll be a clunky vehicle: you can’t change a tractor into a Corvette just by swapping out a few dozen parts.”
~~~
3. Naoko: Geminian Eyes/Reach Into your Soul
Essential Post
Why?
It was a reminder to myself to keep on living, no matter what happened. It’s essential to me because it tells me to keep my eyes up to the sky, to keep on hoping.
A line from the post:
Reach into your soul, even if you cannot see tomorrow
Yes, if you have the strength to live
~~~
4. Terry Heath, Coffeeblogger, What’s It All About? [INSERT YOUR NAME HERE]
Essential Post
Beautiful Statues, Clever Horses and Letting the Crap Fly
Why?
This post gave birth to a style of blogging I continually try to revisit. It was where I realized the power of blogging in a transparent style.
Line from the Post
There are so many subtle ways we can censor and censure ourselves. We don’t need to be afraid to let the occasional “crap” fly when it needs to.
~~~
5. Joanne Hillhouse: Essential Post 2009
Essential Post
Why?
It captured the vibe of a lively and fun interaction with students at the Antigua Girls High School. We discussed everything about my book Dancing Nude with the Moonlight and, notwithstanding the book’s still uncertain future, it felt like the fulfillment of all the things you hope for as a writer (short of huge sales, of course) when I realized how much they’d come to care about these characters.
Line from the Post
one demanded to know “why’d you kill Uncle Wellie?” clearly put out by the character’s passing, I knew they’d come to care about these characters; and that made me feel…well, that’s what you want as a writer isn’t it…for your characters to matter, for your story to resonate with the people who read it.
~~~
6. Alina Popescu, Words of a Broken Mirror, WoBM’s Essential Lines from 2009
Essential Post
5 Social Media Lessons You Can Learn from Bikers
Why?
Both posts describing important skills and lessons that have to do with marketing and promoting your business. Both showing how I learned about them in what seemed a completely unrelated situation.
(She chose two, I picked one, she knows why 
)
~~~
7. Geoffrey Philip: Essential Lines from 2009
Essential Post
Why?
it was a turning point for me in my writing career. It was the first time that I’d read to so large an audience in Jamaica, and as everyone knows, Jamaicans can be a tough audience. Especially with our own.
~~~
8. Madame Le Consul, from a blog that no longer exists
Extract of the essential post can be found here (scroll down to Respect for MLC)
Essential Post
Yuck
It’s a post that its readers loved and found extremely helpful, and it was widely copied and re-posted in other fora both before and after its demise
Line from the post:
They’re not creepy or horrible or disgusting or nasty or scary. They’re just dead.
~~~
9. Susan Lipson:
Essential Post
All Litter Rationalized: A Little Alliterative Commentary on Idiotic Idioms
~~~
10. Lillie Ammann, A Writer’s Words, An Editor’s Eye: A Post that Matters to Me
Essential Post
Why?
It reminds me—and I hope you—that I—and you—have been blessed beyond belief with salvation through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Line from the Post
Nothing I have ever experienced or ever will experience can compare to our Lord and Savior being beaten, mocked, tortured, and murdered in the most vicious way.
~~~
11. Robert Hruzek, Middle Zone Musings, Essential Lines 2009
Essential Post
Why?
It’s because it perfectly epitomizes how I do things here in the Middle Zone, which are, to wit:
* Get your attention and keep it (story-telling is a proven method)
* Make you laugh (or at the very least generate an ingrown chuckle or two)
* Teach you something (the benefit of bein’ here in the first place)
Line from the Post
These days, folks all over are facing things they’ve never had to face before. It’s like they’re tearing along in one direction, then – maybe even through no plan or fault of their own – they suddenly changed direction and found themselves launched headlong into space!
~~~
12. Jan Scott Nelson
Essential Post
This year has brought essential change and the very essence of this is encapsulated in yesterday’s post which, as you know, I’ve been working on since the process started.
~~~
13. Dianne, Words and Pictures
Essential Post
Why?
being my first step back into blogging and also because it highlights the fact that problems can often be the source of possibility.
~~~
14. Joanna Young, Confident Writing, My Essential Lines from 2009
Essential Post
9 Possible Ways that Writing Changes Things
Why?
It seems to get to the heart of what I’m about, what I want to learn more of so I can teach it, write it, pass it on.
Lines from the Post…
…and my final bit of reflection for you from 2009
Writing can shift things for us, inside: opening up a sense of creativity, playfulness, the freedom to dream dreams and explore what’s possible.
Use it well. 
Work with Joanna and learn to express yourself with confidence. Online classes to free the inner writer. Get help writing the pages that you need for an effective presence on the web.
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for this interesting little project, Joanna! A great way to finish up the year!
Robert Hruzek´s last blog ..All Entries: What I Learned From 2009
Hi Joanna, Allow me to echo Robert’s comment 100%. I really enjoyed participating and look forward to now reading these other posts, which look intriguing. Happy New Year, Joanna!
Brad Shorr´s last blog ..It’s a Wonderful Blogosphere
Wow, what a quick peek into some great blog posts. Thanks for doing this.
Cat Woods´s last blog ..Fingers Never Forget
It’s posts like these that make it essential to come visiting here, Joanna. Thanks for including me on the list … picking just one is HARD. And now I need to go check out the few bloggers on this list that aren’t (yet) in my feed reader…
–Deb´s last blog ..Highlights from 2009
Joanna, thank you for hosting the project and allowing others to shine. You end the year as you started with giving, sharing and inspiring us all on this journey of learning. xx
Karen Swim´s last blog ..What You Need to Know about Business in 2010
Joanna,
Thank you for this project. You always inspire us and make us think. Wishing you a joyous new year.
Lillie Ammann´s last blog ..A Post that Matters to Me
I concur, Joanna! Thanks for highlighting these posts! *bookmarks to read more later*
Naoko´s last blog ..[Song/Lyrics] Ongaku
Thanks again for hosting this group writing project Joanna! It was fun and quite helpful! And I knew you were going to choose that one
Lots of hugs and a great new year to you!
Alina Popescu´s last blog ..Business Plans and Wishes for 2010
Joanna — Thanks for expanding my Google Reader:~) There are so many interesting posts listed here and I love how you had the author say why he or she picked the post and even that you selected a quote from it. I will be busy!
Your writing group project has obviously been a wonderful success. I wish for you many more successes and much happiness in the New Year:~)
Sara Healy´s last blog ..New Year’s Day and an Old Roman God
Wonderful post for the last day of the year and heavy rain – I have been reading all afternoon these fabulous words and phrases from so many delightful posts and offerings.
A wonderful gift
Patricia´s last blog ..Sparkling Tour with Bubbly Celebrations in Mind
My best post for 2009: Viewing Life and Society at 75
Birthday boy has some comments about arriving at the big 75 and being happy about the results of the trip here, potholes and all. I’m enjoying my relaxed life and my most valuable assets – my family. A loving wife, two perfect kids and two wonderful grandkids. WOW!
My best for 2060 would surely be: 2059 What a Wonderful Year
So many positive changes have occurred over the past several decades: elimination of poverty, a binding world truce banning all wars, full protection of natural resources, and the popularity of valued living. We live in such a great time; surely this will enter the history books as the era of widespread peace and happiness for all in this world. The little improvements each year have added up to so much, like the recent work week reduction to 20 hours. This has helped in our expansion of the blueberries section of our great garden, and of course more time for hiking, crafting, and other hobbies.
Grampa Ken rants and raves at Social Fix´s last blog ..2059 What a Wonderful Year
Thanks everyone – glad to offer a bit of Christmas reading and some blogs you can follow in the new year
@ Ken, thanks for chipping in with your own selection