Blogging questions, asked and answered!
I
did it. I did the thing. I lectured. It went well. It was the other day, I taught some freshers how to blog and yeah, it was well cool innit.
– I
am deliberately being short here because I don't want this post to
turn into a mushy monologue, I really must stop doing those...it's so
tempting, though...
The
first thing I did in both my seminars was break the ice and open up
the floor – mixed metaphors aplenty – and instead of rambling on
and on at them, sharing all
my anecdotes and probably the more menial matters, not to mention
doling out countless useless tips, I asked them to ask me
what they actually, genuinely
wanted to know.
I
was so excited to answer the resulting questions, from each of the
groups that had formed within the room. Interestingly, I was only
asked one particular question twice – I'll indicate which one
below.
I
thought it might be cute and hopefully useful to answer their
questions on here, too, written down and probably more coherent and
thought through than when they asked me and I had to respond
verbally, immediately and most likely slightly erratically...!
So,
if you want a mini-seminar of sorts, a quick lot of my tips on
blogging with some personal experience mixed in, read on! These are
the questions I remember being asked and most enjoyed answering.
How
did you get into the blogging thing? (this
is the one I was asked by a group from both seminars)
I
started blogging when I was 16. I was between classes at college and
I was just full of feelings and angst and confusion...I needed to get
that all out somehow. For some reason having a notebook in my bag and
scribbling stuff down didn't work for me then; that felt like I was
still carrying things around with me. So on a complete whim I made
this Blogger site braceletsandbangles.blogspot.co.uk, and it served as a safe space for me to muse, vent
and just throw thoughts out through. I didn't care that others could
read it, if they felt so inclined. It was just for me, then.
I
take it much more seriously now. It's still 100% me, just
less...angsty. I've found and earned more of a following, more lovely
and responsive readers, over the past 2 years.
Do
you have a schedule? How do you post consistently?
1.
No schedule! I may not have a concrete day-by-day routine with
posting BUT I do have a strong sense of what needs doing, over the
course of a week. For instance, a Just Some Things post will go up
every week and then bookish and personal posts will pretty much
alternate. Shorter posts will fill spaces sometimes, but not just for
the sake of it, they're all written with care. And obviously if
something has to be up on a certain date it will be, and any other
posts that week fit around it. It's hard working out how to keep
everything fresh all the time without overloading followers and posts
getting lost in the surge!
2.
I never 'forget' to post. I always want to. Which is good, I think.
As it says in my Twitter bio now, that wanky thing I keep saying when
I'm asked why I write: I can't not.
When
do you share links?
Typically
I'll make things live and share links between 7:30 and 8am, because
posts are always read at that time – whether that's commuters on
their way to work or folks reading with breakfast/while brushing
teeth (the latter being me). I will also post in the evenings, around
the time folks are heading home from wherever or are just settling on
the sofa with dinner and 'It Takes Two' (yes, that's also me).
I
also try and share something bigger for weekends, one post that goes
live on Friday morning and will last for the following 2 days. I
don't always like posting late Saturday afternoon or mid-morning on a
Sunday as nobody is around to read, it seems! And Saturday night is
the most hit/miss time of all, sometimes I get tons of views and
sometimes none.
EVERYTHING!!
Mostly books, sex, personal drama, my health, snippets of creative
writing, opinion pieces...yeah, loads of tings, innit.
I
used to wonder if I should make separate blogs for individual topics,
but then I quite like that everything can be found here, under
different headings at the top of the page. So do readers, apparently.
How
did the blog help with your degree?
I
would post bits of assignments on my blog, and share it with the
Creative Writing 2011-2014 Facebook group. We'd all do that now and
again, and ask one another to proof read and comment. It was very
helpful!
I
also made a blog specifically for my ECP in third year. It consisted
of photos I'd taken of scenery and my friends posed as important
characters; it was just a big interactive collage of snaps you could
click on for little bits of story. That went down well, gave the diss
another dimension and actually helped me focus on the writing more.
Do
you make money from the blog?
I
do from time to time, but nowhere near enough to be my sole source of
income. I dream of becoming a freelancer someday but right now I am
happy to write for next to nothing (with the occasional cash package
landing in my lap quite by surprise, god bless commissions) and get
my experience and exposure. I'm paying my dues!
How
do you know something you want to post will work?
I've
started sharing bits with friends or just asking if they'd want to
read something about [insert topic here]. Mostly, though, I just
abide by that ancient writing rule of (paraphrasing): if you're
unsure, save it in drafts and re-read after some time has passed, to
see it objectively and decide once and for all. I usually give it
about a week, and then I'll know. Having said that, there are still
posts waiting patiently in my Drafts folder that I've been wobbling
over for months...
What advice would you give to those starting a blog now?
I'm
at the phase in my career, my life,
where I'm saying 'yes' to everything. So I'd say get used to doing
that – although not if you're being offered or asked to do
something you don't want, y'know? – and reach out. Can't
hurt, can it? Worst thing that can happen is the idol you tweet with
a plea for advice will not see your reply and won't answer. And you
can always try again.
Also,
don't delete anything. Just 'revert to draft', if need be. It's
important to see where you've come from.
Okay,
and the key things when writing anything, but especially a blog:
write what you know, yes, and what
you care about. It's all well and good writing a few hundred words on
something you know a shit ton about, but unless you have a passion
for it or at least a keen interest in it, the post won't be exciting
to write and then it may not grab readers. Be true to you! Cheesy
enough? Good.
Do
you see yourself doing it forever?
Totally.
It was such a pleasure talking to these kids, and I really hope I didn't come across as a try-hard cool-teacher type with my bright lippy and lack of shoes while lecturing...though I understand completely if that's how they saw me, tbh.
Thank you, Winchester. It was surreal af and unexpectedly the most fun thing to do. Shout-out to my fellow lecturers, you utter gems, thanks for looking after me!
* * *
It was such a pleasure talking to these kids, and I really hope I didn't come across as a try-hard cool-teacher type with my bright lippy and lack of shoes while lecturing...though I understand completely if that's how they saw me, tbh.
Thank you, Winchester. It was surreal af and unexpectedly the most fun thing to do. Shout-out to my fellow lecturers, you utter gems, thanks for looking after me!
If anyone reads this post and thinks of something they'd like to know that hasn't been covered here, then by all means tweet me or email at [email protected]!
Can you describe three different ways of earning income from blogging?
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