Results of 2018 Year-End Reader Survey 2

A big THANK YOU to all who took the time to complete the year-end survey! Your feedback is both important and very influential in terms of the types of articles and content I will provide in 2019.

Survey Results

Q1: How would you describe your writing experience?

• 4% – Expert
• 50% – Advanced
• 25% – Intermediate
• 17% – Beginning Writer/Journaler
• 4% – didn’t answer

I was mildly surprised by these results since in the past a higher percentage of readers were in the beginning category. This tells me that you’ve all been working hard and improving your writing — and that I need to up my game in providing deeper and more relevant content while continuing to encourage and help those of you who are just starting out.

Q2: How often do you visit WritingThroughLife?

• 45% – Weekly or more
• 29% – Monthly
• 20% – A couple times a year
• 0% – Yearly/Just this once

Q3: How likely are you to recommend WritingThroughLife to someone else?

• 45% – Highly likely
• 33% – Likely
• 21% – Neutral
• 0% – Unlikely/Highly unlikely

A full 78% of you were likely or highly likely to recommend WritingThroughLife. Thank you! I appreciate your confidence.

Q4: Rate your interest in a future article series on Journaling Through Grief

• 75% – Interested or Very interested
• 8% – Neutral
• 17% – Not interested or Not at all interested

Since a clear majority expressed interest in a series on journaling through grief, I’m going to go ahead with my plans to provide that for you. For those of you not interested, don’t worry. I’ve listened to you and plan to write about many of the topics you suggested. Please see the answers to the next survey question for potential topics.

Q5: What other series would you like to read about?

While I can’t list everything, there were a number of categories I can combine the suggested topics into:

• Memoir writing – how to include the good times; book structure; finishing
• Journaling through difficult emotions, life passages, and physical and mental health challenges
• Family legacy – Writing family histories and using writing to uncover and change family patterns
• Writing Craft – all aspects, including poetry
• Writing Life – including overcoming roadblocks to writing, how to start a writing group, and staying inspired

Q6: What is one writing goal you’d like to accomplish in 2019 and how can I help?

Goals were closely tied to the topics of interest. 

• Completing a book or work in progress and getting it published was the top priority for many of you, which included finding themes, organizing, and structuring the material.
• Gaining clarity about the reasons for writing and maintaining a more regular or deepening your writing practice
• Gaining know-how and skills in book marketing also came up a number of times.

Q7: Demographics – in case you’re wondering

• Gender: 96% female and 4% male. This statistic wasn’t a surprise to me, because there are more women interested in journaling and memoir writing, overall. Yet, rest assured that I won’t forget or ignore my male audience. If you are part of this minority demographic, please feel free to contact me regarding how I can be more inclusive.
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• Age: 24% in the 41-54 age range, and 76% are 55 +
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• Work status: About 50% of you are retired, 36% work part-time, and 10% work full-time. This makes sense, given the age demographic. (For the record, I’m still working full-time at a fulfilling day job in addition to my writing, teaching, and editing life, and I’m wonderfully envious of those of you who have more time to write.)

You’ve all given me a lot to think about and to work on this year. Keep an eye out for articles that fit the categories and topics you’ve suggested, as well as additional courses and maybe even a forum for writing groups.

And, of course, I’m always open to new ideas. Feel free to contact me at any time.