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Nashville, TN: I want to be a blogger.
I know, I know I have a blog. In fact, I'm writing this on said blog as we speak. But I don't feel like I'm a true blogger. I subscribe to a bunch of blogs via Google Reader and I see people posting every couple of days -- or every day, no matter what. And for the most part, their blogs are very interesting or funny or insightful and make me want to blog myself. But then when I actually get to the part where I am supposed to write, I don't. Well, I don't as much as I want. There's the fact that I have a job (which I love & am grateful for) and another job (which is a huge part of my life) and a hobby or two... so that doesn't always leave me with a lot of free time. Then there's the fact that I have a lot to say but it's either a) too much to share via blog (I don't want everyone in the world to my neurosis) or b) borrr-ing. What I do is cool and where I go is fun, but sometimes, when I try to describe it.... eh. Just doesn't translate like I wish it would.
Somewhere along my search of "witty and thoughtful blogs about traveling and spiritually and boy bands," (give or take a boy band), I came across Geraldine DeRuiter, aka The Everywhereist. She lives in Seattle with her husband, Rand, who travels a lot for his job. One day, she got laid off from her job and decided to join Rand on his business trips and blog about her / their experiences.
She explains:
"It’s a travel blog.
But at its core, it’s a love letter to my husband.
A big, long, cuss-filled love letter."
I want to be her. Except for that laid-off-from-her-job part.
Since she is so great, she did a piece on
tips for beginner bloggers. It's funny (duh), creative and helpful and it makes me think maybe I
can be a blogger. I decided to go through the tips here to see if I'm living up to true blogging-potential. I've copied & pasted the topics and a few poignant thoughts from each point. But you should really read
her original post to get a feel for how great she is.
But really -- this is a cheap way of getting one more blog written.
1. Choose the right topic. "Make it something for which you are passionate, something that you love, that you can distill into one sentence."
There are lots of things I love, but even more things that I get really excited about for a few months, then eventually forget. I feel like the things that remain a constant are: touring/traveling, seeking spirituality and being passionate and intentional... and trying to find someone who shares some of those same passions.
That's a really long run-on sentence.
2. Throw perfectionism out the window. "Perfectionism is paralyzing. A truly perfect blog does not (exist)."
Here's the thing, G (can I call you G?), I AM a perfectionist. I take pride in details being correct. It's part of my job. That being said, I'm an
imperfect perfectionist, so I can at least cut myself a little slack knowing I will make mistakes. (But I still don't like it, for the record.)
3. Be yourself. "There is no way you can maintain a blog if you aren’t true to who you are."
I'm trying, but part of this blog is also figuring out who I am. By 37, I thought I would know for sure, but it's still a daily process. I suppose being me is also about the journey of that discovery.
This is also hard because I'd really rather be Carrie Bradshaw. Or Mother Teresa. Or The Everywhereist.
4. Be consistent. "It must be updated at roughly the same time of day, at regular intervals. It gives readers something to count on, something to keep them coming back."
This is my biggest challenge because, like I mentioned above, I don't have a lot of down time. But if it's for my "readers" to count on, I'm not that worried either since I'm pretty sure I only have about seven of them and I'm related to at least three of them. But I'll do my best.
5. Find a role model. "Try to emulate (but don’t copy) the good, and try to improve upon the bad."
Hmmm. Maybe I should have read this one first before I copied the whole new-blogger-tips-blog from you. Oops.
6. Don’t do it for the money, because there isn’t any. "The sad truth is, most blogs aren’t very profitable. But I keep doing it because I love it."
I really do enjoy this (when I actually do it) and I want to keep it up, regardless of the "rewards" -- be it money or otherwise. But good to know up front that I shouldn't quit my day job and turn to blogging as the main source of income. Especially because my day job allows me to blog about some pretty amazing things.
7. Pretend you have an audience, even when you don’t. "I pretended my audience was bigger. I’d write to them, as though they were a real, living group of people. And pretty soon, that audience I kept pretending was there appeared."
Ok, so I have more than seven readers. But that's only when I link to Facebook (thanks, friends!) or when people come across my blog when they search random things like "boy george's house" or "African American Pipe Organ."
8. Be patient. "I once got an email from a reader who wanted to know how long before she could 'expect success.' It takes years to make a name for yourself in blogging. Sit down. Relax. And keep typing."
What? That reader is so impatient! What a silly question. Good answer, G.
(But seriously... how much longer?)
9. Guest blog. "Guest blogging is a great way to get your work out there, make some connections, and bring more traffic to your own blog."
I haven't done that just yet, but I run the
Thistle Farms blog - that has to count for something, right?
10. Love the haters. "If someone hates you enough to send you a letter or leave a rude comment about it, you are above mediocrity. Congratulations. You’ve made it."
If only I had read this sooner.....
11. Add photos. "You’ll likely find that photos will make your blog much richer. Or, at the very least, they’ll provide a visual sorbet for your readers."
I love taking pictures so this is not really a problem for me, except that I'm a perfectionist (see #2), so it takes me a while to go through them and tweak them a bit to my liking. But, trying to stay on track with #4, I'm going to try to do a better job at just being in the moment and posting as I take them. Or at least just using
Snapseed or
Instagram on my iPhone instead of a full-blown
Lightroom adjustment.
Here's me, writing this blog, while getting my hair 'did.
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| I actually couldn't see the mirror as I took this picture. |
12. Tell your friends about your blog. "If you expect people to read your blog, you will need to be okay with telling them about it. It will be less embarrassing and awkward than you think. Especially if you follow rule #13."
Fineeeeee. I have a blog, friends. And this is it.
Happy?
13. Don’t write anything you wouldn’t say to someone’s face. "I’m kind of an asshole. I say awful things to people’s faces. Still, this is a good rule (even for non-assholes)."
There's only been one blog written that I was fairly ugly about someone (just called it like I saw it) and it bit me in the behind. It was a good reminder that if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all. Or at least don't be so direct that someone can call you on it. Or say what you want and grow some balls if you're confronted on it.
14. For the love of Pete, get on Twitter. "You should be on it already. If you aren’t, get on it."
I did it, but I still fight it. I've got SO much more to say than 140 characters. But I did it, so there.
15. Don’t be afraid to change your mind. "Don’t be afraid to write another post, explaining your change of heart. Admitting that you were wrong, or changing your point of a view is a sign of maturity – both as a person and as a writer."
Best. advice. ever.
It's hard to say you've made a mistake or you're wrong. But so crucial to the growth process.
You know what else is hard to say? Sorry. Thank you,
EJ, for your understanding.
16. Don’t hesitate to kill your darlings. "In other words, don’t be afraid to hit delete. If the idea of that makes you cringe, try cutting or pasting the content into another doc for a later day. But trust me: you’ll probably just end up deleting that, too."
As a challenge, I'm tempted to delete this post altogether, just to follow the last tip. But I actually feel really good about the process of writing this and the potential of it inspiring me to carry on in my own bloggy way.
Plus, how could I delete Elton??
Thank you, G, for the inspiration. And I hope I'm not breaking any weird laws by quoting you profusely. I just think you're an inspiration and I hope to follow these tips as best as I can!
And for the record, I still wanna be you.
