After just under a year of this blogging m'larky I've finally reached post number 100 - and at the same time the blog is just short of 10,000 views (at least some of them other people and not me/spam bots/google!).
I've found the experience of blogging to be really useful in keeping my head 'in the game'. I check my blog stream multiple times every day, and seeing other peoples work has spurred me on more than once when my own motivation has been flagging.
I would love to think that my own poorly spelt ramblings have helped do the same for others (even with my shotgun approach to grammar!).
Since the blog has started, I've managed to improve my lighting for pictures, get a few games in and finish off a few modelling projects that have pushed my abilities and caused much swearing. One thing I've not managed to do, however, is increase my followers!
In an effort to do this, and to celebrate post #100, I decided to have a little competition. I have three prizes to give away - all of them books. To make sure there is something that might interest someone, I have gone for a mix of periods.
The first is:
Published in 1974 it contains details on the military forces of Europe during the Cold War period.
Secondly:
Uniforms of the Peninsular Wars, by Philip Haythornthwaite and Michael Chappell. Printed in 1995.
Thirdly:
Scramble! A set of WW2 aerial combat rules - Edition 3.1.2
The rules for the competition are simple.
1) To enter you have to be a follower of this blog and leave a comment on this blog entry.
2) The comment should answer the questions: What is it that keeps you chipping away at the lead mountain - and who do you thank most for your inspiration and motivation?
3) Single entries only, I will pick my favourite three and rate them 1st to 3rd. 1st winner gets 1st pick, 2nd the second pick and 3rd the third pick.
4) All comments will be unposted until the end of the competition, which will be the 25th of April. Prizes will be posted out at some point after that!
So that's it - follow the blog, comment and you stand a chance of winning one of these three amazing prizes! All help in advertising the competition is welcome!
O.K., given the comp a plug (http://wargamesleadslifenstuff.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/another-quick-comp.html) which might do some good.
ReplyDeleteYour questions:
Q: What is it that keeps you chipping away at the lead mountain?
A: Chains and regular beatings and the satisfaction of either playing with different painting ideas or trying to improve my standard. Oh yeah, and wargaming . . . .
Q: Who do you thank most for your inspiration and motivation?
A: Aside from the numerous bloggers I follow, I suppose it has to be the late Peter Gilder who I met a couple of times in the 70's. He gave me the burning desire for impossibly large armies which I can never complete and gave me my original breakthrough in painting techniques.
I just popped by via Happy Valley to say congratulations on your 100th post. I'm just a painter, not a gamer so I will refrain from entering your competition.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes to you!
Congrats on the milestone.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy the variety of projects that other people are working on, even periods that I have no interest in. It keeps the creativity moving. I paint in bursts. I had a fantastic burst in tnbe beginning of the year and I am prepping for the next one.
Who do I thank the most? Well, the readers who post comments on my blog. They make me want to do more.
Congrats on the milestone!! And to answer your question. Simple answer Shear Bloody minded Stubbornness! Its all Posties fault, he got me into Wargaming in the first place, the little sod!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the 100 posts MTH!
ReplyDeleteCongrats MTH and childhood, movies and reading!
ReplyDeleteI would say madness keeps me chipping away at the lead pile Jamie, what else would have you painting blue uniform after blue uniform. Inspiration and motivation is mostly provided by alcohol, keeps the mind focused ;-) (just kidding, to put a name on who inspires is tricky as there are so many great painted figures, armies around and each time you see something special I want to get my brushes out). good luck with the comp!
ReplyDeleteWell done notching up a century posts!
ReplyDeletePainting isn't my most favourite part of the hobby, but the need to have painted models (combined with the fact that I can't afford to get someone else to paint them!) keeps me chipping away. As for inspiration and motivation, I'd say my love of history and the encouragement of the guys I play with (and have contact with via blogs) keeps me going. Also the great feeling of satisfaction in completing a project and taking pride in my work. Cheers, Paul.
The amount of money put into this hobby demands that I show some sort of results by actually doing something with the bloody stuff. One day I’ll feel as though the pile is actually going down and keep working toward that goal. (Though I really need to stop buying new things in the interim.)
ReplyDeleteMy biggest inspirations are my grandparents – My grandfather for getting me into model making (WW2 Airfix planes) as a wee lad back in the early 80’s and my grandmother (A superb artist) who encouraged me in anything “artsy or hobby” orientated. If not for them, I’d never have known what poly-glue and model paint were in the 1st place.
Congrats on the 100 posts Jamie. Your blog is always a grand read.
Congrats!
ReplyDelete1) What keeps me chipping away at the lead mountain is my sincere desire to keep gaming with my mates and to have armies ready for my sons to play with, and against, me when they come for a visit. While I am not quickly going through the mountain, I am continually at it.
2) Who do I thank most for my inspiration and motivation? Honestly, those who inspire and motivate me most are the heroes and villains of all the past wars and conflicts. Each fought for a cause, some honorable, and many not, but it is only because of their actions and the histories left behind that we can wargame those events today.
More modern models of inspiration include numerous authors of either academic texts or wargame rules, but who each had an appreciation for military history and also delved into the hobby itself.
Others still, bloggers who, in the midst of often chaotic and stressful lives, post about what they are working on and what inspires them. Too frequently, favorite bloggers take extended breaks from their blogs, as have I, due to the constraints of life, and I miss what these gentlemen (and a few ladies) would otherwise produce and share.