Thanks for sharing @stellabelle - it was very helpful. For newbies, the whole "reputation" thing is kinda mysterious at first and I don't think that I'm alone in hoping - wishing! - that reputation was something that could be accomplished overnight. But, as you said, it's all about the "long game" and being consistent. Committing to writing hundreds of small posts, being "real" and having trust in the Steemit platform -- those are some of the big takeaways that I took from your post. So thanks again!