Jessica Belmosto

I’ve spent the last twelve months blogging on a regular basis. I was able to explore my passion for writing while developing a love for covering hockey. It wouldn’t have been possible without a few people though. No, I won’t thank the sixth-grade teacher who loved my writing; or the history professor who convinced me to keep writing about sports. It’s twitter.

Writing has always been important to me. I started with creative writing and eventually transitioned to journalling. It was always therapeutic for me. It still is! I’ve learned to combine my two passions into one. Along with writing, sports were something I cherished growing up. I’ve talked about how baseball brought my dad and me closer. There’s just something about baseball, man. It wasn’t until last Bruins season that I decided to start writing about hockey. I learned a lot about the game as well as how to write about it.

Hockey twitter is a special place. You’ve got to have a thick skin for it. Someone will take an unjustified take to their grave. In Boston, we have a lovely thing called goalie controversy. It’s a never ending conversation. You have people who hate Tuukka Rask, but can’t learn to spell his name. You’ve got people who love him but can never tell us why he’ll carry this team to a Cup. There’s a small handful that likes to make us all look bad. It’s easy to get caught up in the hype of the season. I think that small bunch forgets that people they’re tweeting at are real people. They’re not just a profile picture on the internet.

Not all of hockey twitter is bad though. I’ve made friends through it! A lot of the people who read LQJ are fans of hockey. I mean, that makes complete sense. If you like hockey, you’re going to read about hockey.

This leads me to my next point. I don’t know who actually reads my blogs. I just see a number and what country the readers are from. Whoever you are, I love you. I remember when my blogs would get five views. I’d get excited. I’ll never forget when I checked the statistics on my KFC blog. I almost cried. People really wanted to read what I had to say about a man who cheated on his wife. My Bruins Dev Camp blog was a fun one to write. I certainly didn’t expect people to read what I had to say about it. I mean, there was plenty of real media coverage.

When I post a blog, I don’t chase page views or clicks. I don’t make a dime off of this blog. I write for me and the people who might want to read it. There are so many people I’ve become close with because of LQJ. There are writers that I admire who took the time to tell me I’m doing a good job. Yeah, that’s a big deal to me. So, thank you.

Thank you to Jess for encouraging me last October to write about the Penguins’ trip to the White House. You’re my rational brain. You know when I should keep quiet or actually take to twitter. Our podcast is my baby and I am so happy you agreed to be part of it!  Thank you to anyone who has ever inspired a blog post. There’s a group of badass women writers who make me want to do better. Thank you to every teacher who doubted me. I’ll always remember their names. A big thank you to the guys who don’t mansplain and talk down to me. To the ones who constantly have a bone to pick, I suggest you find a new hobby because I’m done taking your bait. To anyone who reads these blogs, thank you. I love that you come back and want to hear what I have to say! I hope that the writing makes you want to have a conversation. To anyone who is struggling or questioning their path, never give up. Please keep pushing forward and do what makes you HAPPY.