Today is July 1, 2015.
One year ago - on July 1, 2014 - Launchora.com was unveiled to the world.
Honestly, it doesn't feel like one year has gone by. It feels more like 365 days just happened to have happened one after the other.
So, what kind of year has it been?
Well, in these 365 days:
4,277 stories have been published on Launchora.
2,278 people have published at least one story.
7,103 people have started writing a story.
11,229 stories have been saved as drafts.
That's pretty incredible, isn't it? To think that exactly one year ago today, all those numbers were ZERO.
Here's what's more important than numbers: together, as a community, we "Launchers" have written and launched stories about love, heartbreak, and love again. Stories where people have created previously unexplored worlds full of rich characters. Stories about someone's real life and experiences, full of laughter and even pain. Stories that have touched our hearts. Stories that have made us smile at the end of a long day. Stories that have taught us something new about someone from some place oceans away.
This community of ours exemplifies what it means to be a diverse group. People from over 150 countries have been to our website. Every week we see writers and readers from over 560 cities worldwide. We've had stories told in more than 15 different languages. Our users range from 13 to 70 in age.
But somehow, across borders and languages and demographic, we were able to find something to connect us: our stories.
On a personal level - since I also count myself to be a member of this community - this has been a magnificent year for me.
Some highlights of the last 365 days:
I turned 25!
(yes, a birthday is an obvious thing to happen in a year long period)
I wrote and published a book!
(it's called "Lakshya, Part One", and yes, it's on Launchora)
I drove 1,500 miles along the American West Coast!
(My first ever solo-road-trip, from San Diego to Seattle)
And my favorite:
I made my own dream come true!
(hint: it's called Launchora)
But most importantly:
I learned about self-expression.
I started Launchora thinking that it would be a place for fictional stories - stuff that books are made of. But what I've learned from you Launchers is that a story can come from anywhere, and that it can be about anything. Sure, we can imagine whole new worlds and type them out, but sometimes the real story lives within us.
I've always been a private person. I never imagined that I would ever talk about my personal life on a public platform. Until I did it. Until this brilliant, loving, and supportive community - yes, I'm talking about you Launchers - showed me that what I have experienced might be something worth talking about.
What I've learned is that every story - and every one's story - is important. What I have to say matters. What you have to say matters. What this community has to say matters.
What you Launchers are sharing here with each other, these stories are about us. About our lives. About our time on this earth. About who we were. About who we are. About who we want to be. About who we can be.
What amazes me - what makes me truly happy on this wonderful, beautiful day - is that there are so many stories that we haven't written yet.
There are so many stories we haven't lived yet.
That's where we're going to start today. That is why I'm so happy and proud to announce that before this month of July (2015) is over, Launchora would have made the next giant step in helping this community of Launchers share their stories.
Because this month, Launchora will go with you wherever your story takes you. We're coming to all Android devices as an app so you can write, read, and share your stories as you see them. As you imagine them. As you experience them.
As you live them.
A New Challenge
So far, in these 365 days, I have published about 28 stories. In the beginning, I saw that as big number. That's about one every two weeks! However, as I've been testing the Launchora app experience, I feel like there's so much more to share. A story doesn't have to be hundreds of pages or thousands of words. A story can be exactly how long it needs to be. Even if it's just a few words about something that you experience in the moment. Because what else is a story if not an attempt at trying to make a moment last forever?
So when I come back here to write a sequel to this story next year (I'm guessing it'll probably be called "Launchora: Year Two" or "Launchora: Age of Ultron" - I haven't really decide yet), I'm hoping that I have at least another 100 stories published.
It's a self-challenge.
You can join in too, that's kind of the whole point of this thing.
Earlier this year, in January 2015, I made another self-challenge: I wrote and published a new short story - all fiction - every Friday. And you know what happened? Every Thursday night I gave up because I thought I couldn't make it. Because I thought the story sucked. But you know what happened on Friday? I drove myself crazy until I published something I loved. And it worked. I published 5 stories that month, and none of those ideas existed until 6 days before I published them (and in one case just 36 hours).
So yes, this new "1 Year, 100 Stories" Challenge is scary. But I'm already loving it. And guess what? After I publish this story, I only have 99 more to go.
A Thank You Note
I want to write and share so much more about what I've read and experienced on this platform - created by amazing Launchers like you - but I'm going to stop now so you can experience it for yourselves.
So go out there and Explore. Read. Write.
Live a story worth sharing.
My name is Lakshya Datta, and as the Founder & CEO of Launchora - scratch that - as a fellow Launcher in this community, I want to thank you all for being a part of Launchora.
So...What's Next?
Well, to promote the upcoming app and to get an early start on my self-challenge of "1 Year, 100 Stories", I'm off to Europe to find new experiences and ideas to write about. From July 24 to August 18, I will be traveling to and writing from the following cities: Berlin, Madrid, Ibiza, Amsterdam, Bruges, Brussels, Prague, and Dresden. If you happen to live in those cities, write to me! Let's grow this community and bring more stories to even more people.
And Finally...
Happy birthday, Dad! I hope mentioning you in this story suffices as a gift.
Also, since your birthday is next week: Happy Birthday, Mom! I'm going to buy you an actual gift because you're my favorite (and because you're Dad's favorite too and he's the one paying for it).
Using a public and global platform to wish both my parents a happy birthday...that's at least two guaranteed nominations, don't you think so Launchers?
And how can I forget...