Hello everyone, I hope you’re having a lovely morning, afternoon, or evening! I’ve officially been blogging for two years! January 17th, 2021, was when I posted my first blog post, and boy, it’s been a ride. In this post, I just want to share some tips I’ve learned while blogging, some of my top posts, and some other random things. Enjoy!
>> Why I Started Blogging (and why I still love it!) <<
I started blogging because I was advised to by some fellow writers and mentors on something called Crazy Writing Week. I wanted to grow my audience, write more, and subtly promote my book as I worked on publishing it.
Honestly, I’ve strayed from that over the past two years.
I still strive to grow my audience and subtly promote my book, but I’ve grown really fond of blogging.
It’s one of the only things in my life that I’ve actually kept up with.
Between balancing so many little projects, working, and struggling with mental health, I’ve consistently kept up with my blog almost perfectly.
I love blogging.
I almost can’t help but blog.
Now, I’m not sure exactly what I love so much about blogging, but I have a neat little list:
- I have my own space (or “little corner”) online where I can have my own voice (and decorate with flowers and pretty things).
- I can create helpful posts for people using my talents or enjoyable research.
- I can improve my writing skills, adapt my own voice, and strengthen my eye for digital art/display.
Those are just the top three reasons that came to my head immediately.
Quite frankly, I don’t understand my own brain; I just enjoy blogging so much. I can’t put a pin on precisely, exactly why.
I just love it.
>> My First Blog Post <<
My first blog post was a weekly recap.
I wasn’t sure what exactly to blog about, so I decided to write a recap on how my week went.
It is titled “Weekly Recap 1.11.21-1.17.21“
Since then, I continued doing Weekly Recaps while I was in school and switched to Monthly Recaps when I graduated.
Quite honestly, I haven’t read it since I first posted it, and I don’t know if I even want to. So… read at your own risk.
>> What I’ve Learned While Blogging (and some tips!) <<
Now, obviously, I’m still learning as I go (I’m only two years in), but even in that short time span, I’ve learned quite a bit.
So, here are the top FIVE lessons/tips I’ve learned over the course of two years of blogging!
1 || Create A Schedule and Plan Ahead.
I’m the neat-freakiest of neat-freaks. I need to have a plan, schedule, routine, etc. I just can’t function without regarding something like this. I post every other Wednesday (Wednesday Whatevers), and that falls on two (sometimes three) Wednesdays a month. So, I plan out (a year in advance) every post I’ll make and on what day, and I write them a month in advance. Here’s how I lay it out:
JANUARY
4 | Wedding Gift Ideas 2023
17 | Blogiversary
FEBRUARY
1 | [post title confidential because it’s a surprise:)]
15 | [post title confidential because it’s a surprise:)]
MARCH
1 | [post title confidential because it’s a surprise:)]
15 | [post title confidential because it’s a surprise:)]
29 | [post title confidential because it’s a surprise:)]
And so on. This helps me know what and when I’ll post and ensure it all meshes together nicely. Also, I just love planning ahead and creating schedules/calendars. I do the same thing for my YouTube channel.
2 || Literally Blog About Whatever You Want.
That’s it.
Don’t force yourself to blog about something you don’t enjoy.
So what if everyone else is watching the newest trending show and writing reviews about it?
This is your space.
Do what you want with it.
Blogging will become such a dreadful chore if you force yourself to write posts only about what other people want and never write anything you enjoy.
Now, if you want to grow your blog into some sort of business or that sort of thing, you may need to do more things that others want. But never completely stop what you love to do and write about.
3 || Do. Not. Compare. Yourself.
I’ve fallen into this hole a few times.
Don’t compare yourself to a blog with more followers, active commenters, or any of that.
Perhaps they’ve just been doing it longer than you have.
Or maybe their blog’s niche is more widespread and mainstream than yours.
But please don’t compare yourself to others.
Just keep on doing you and posting what you love.
If you idolize the graphics, design, etc., of someone else’s blog but don’t know how they did it or what they use or any of that…
- Ask them how they did it!
- Experiment with different blog designs/layouts!
- Practice making appealing graphics that match your aesthetic!
Most importantly, give yourself grace as you learn what you want, how you want it to look, and as you grow as a blogger.
Don’t compare yourself to others.
Grow at your own pace, and I promise you’ll be happier as You rather than as a copy of [insert your blogger idol here].
4 || Do Proper Research (and Give Proper Credit).
Especially if you make posts about hacks, guides, history, etc., it’s important to do research.
Which items are popular right now?
Does this hack actually work?
Which items are actually safe, useful, well-made, etc.?
Is this fact actually true?
Please fact-check things, test things, and do research.
No matter how nice your blog looks, no matter how entertaining or engaging your voice is, it’s no good if the information is false, misleading, inaccurate, etc.
Also: GIVE CREDIT!
I’m probably not as good at this as I should be, I’ll be honest. But that’s an area where I’m willing to learn and grow and get better at/more aware of as time goes on.
If you…
- use someone else’s graphic/photo.
- write a blog post inspired by/based on someone else’s.
- get something from someone/somewhere else that isn’t yours.
Give credit!
- Link back to their original post.
- Give them a shoutout.
- Make it clear that this isn’t your original idea/picture/etc.
Trust me, it’ll be less hassle to add credit than dealing with copyright, angry creators, etc.
5 || Have Fun With It!
Again, that’s it.
Have fun with this.
As I said before, blogging will just become a dreadful chore if you do it just because you have to, or you feel obliged to, or if you’re just trying to people-please.
Tell a silly joke at the beginning of your post.
Heck, even make a whole post dedicated to jokes like I did a while back.
This is your space.
Have fun with it.
>> My Favorite Blog Posts <<
I love pretty much every post I create (otherwise, I wouldn’t even write them), but here are my top FIVE favorite posts I’ve written!
>> The People’s Favorite Blog Posts <<
Honestly, I don’t really pay much attention to likes, shares, and engagement; I blog because I want to, not because I crave the validation or approval of others.
However, I thought I’d share my FIVE top-liked posts on my blog from the past two years just for funsies!
In Fifth Place:
In Fourth Place:
In Third Place:
In Second Place:
In First Place:
There you go! I hope you found this post entertaining and/or helpful. If you’re a blogger, feel free to post some of your favorite memories or tips in the comments below!
What is your favorite kind of blog to read?
What can I improve on my blog?
I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day or night. Keep on inspiring others and giving yourself some love!
>> every day holds something enchanting <<
Callie's Corner 
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