A Different Sort of Collector! .. and 700 posts!

He's come to collect your pride and joy!

Well, here we are at post number 700! Wow! Its been a long strange trip, to paraphrase The Grateful Dead. About 4 1/2 years ago, I started this blog, mostly because I wanted to give people a behind the scenes look into why your favorite caption creators made their captions. Its been all about the choices we make when brainstorming, from why the picture was selected, the ins and outs of writing the story and how we avoid roadblocks, or ways to follow preferences without becoming a slave to them, etc ...

It was topics I had discussed with others like Simone, Jennifer, Bren and others mostly over Instant Messages, and not something that the average caption trader really wanted to hear about on the Haven. Far from worrying about what readers would think when they saw how the sausage was made, I was hoping to demystify the process, and hopefully show both the artistic wherewithal that we captioners possessed, and that if anyone gave a bit of effort, THEY TOO could make their own TG Captions. I wanted to engage others to see what I saw, and do what I do.

Its original intent is still here, which was to get people to interact, discuss what made them enjoy the genre, and instruct and elevate the process. Some things have changed, I mean, after 700 posts, it became obvious that I couldn't come up with a distinct discussion question every other day or two.

Its also expanded my horizons tenfold in subjects that could make me cringe 7 years ago, and in seeing how others view my work and what they get out of it. This is not a concert where you can hear people cheer loudly or boo heartily and take that feedback and process it. All you can "hear" is what has been written in the comment section, which on this blog seems like an ovation. There are so many blogs out there, great blogs, and people, whether regulars or someone just dropping by, take the time to say something, and its almost always worthwhile to read. I know I often reply, but this caption site still averages 4.6 comments per post. That is literally unheard of, even for blogs with 2-3x more followers than mine.

Its stats like those that make me feel so blessed to have this outlet. I am also proud when people that read my work then decide that they should also try to make their own. Sharing the passion with others to have them want to take part is a mind blowing experience. There are so many distractions and agrrevations in real life, that I am so glad that when you wish to enter a fantasy realm, I am a part of your world, even if its for a quick visit every few days.

What more can I possibly say that I haven't said in these last 5 paragraphs, and honestly, in the last 700 posts. I don't plan on going anywhere else for the time being, so I think you all are stuck with me. This blog will continue to evolve, as long as you the readers and commenters help it to move forward. Why screw with a formula that works right? This has been so much more than I could ever have hoped for, and lets keep the collaboration moving forward!

So lets talk about whatever you want. Chat about the new caption above, or which was your favorite post (or your least favorite post!) What you'd like to see the blog cover that hasn't been done yet, or hasn't been covered to your satisfaction! You've got the floor!