In school I actually struggled with writing. I struggled to use the right words. I used the wrong your, their, its (and sometimes I still do). I was always good at math and just thought I wasn’t meant to be a writer and did what I could to get by. When I was in middle school and high school a lot of my friends had livejournals and xangas and I had one but I never really cared about sentence structure and many of my posts were one long sentence. I never updated them much as I always thought my life was boring (I still kind of think that) it was more the “in” thing to do and you needed one to comment on others type thing.
Basically those sites died once facebook and myspace came out. Some people would use the “notes” section on facebook but short status updates were easier once the newsfeed came out. When I moved in 2011 I found the world of blogging on accident by researching couponing and saving money while I was looking for work. I realized there were people blogging about all kinds of topics including faith. So I decided to start my own and 3 years later I’m still writing blogging.
Will I ever write a book? I don’t know. Although I have toyed with the idea of creating a book about my dad but not a book book more like a book with interviews and writings that I have collected over the years…like a scrapbook but nicer. It’s still just jumbled in my head right now.
So that was the long way to say welcome to the blog-hop about writing! My blogging friend Jen tagged me so here we go! I was asked to answer 4 questions about writing and then tag 3 blogging friends and then they will do the same and the hop goes on and on!!
1. What am I writing?
My brain is sometimes a scary place. I have this awful habit of coming up with awesome blog ideas and not following through with any of them. I have “potential blog post” ideas in my brain, in drafts, in evernote, and on random scraps of paper that I then lose.
But right now my big focus is to write all the posts for my trip to Europe that I took in May. I’ll be a happy camper if I get this done by Christmas. I have a new goal though to write one a week so hopefully I get this done.
I also have other things I want to work on like I want to write a post about photo apps. I also want to write a few posts about my sisters wedding and planning a bridal shower as I think I have a lot of tips that can help others. And as always I love writing about being single and for the Not Alone Series so I’m always working on those posts (we’re currently on a break for the summer). I recently found out that I have over 22,000 page views in my “single life” category so apparently I’m doing something right.
I also have a link-up addiction that I really should break but they are soo fun!!
2. How does my work differ from others in my genre?
This question HARD. I have a lot and not a lot in common with other bloggers. I’m single and there aren’t many single bloggers out there. I’m not a mom and I don’t have kids. So I don’t really post about crafts or diapers or parenting issues. But the thing is my genre is TINY. I read blogs in all sorts of genre’s and sometimes they read mine. I think a lot of my readers just think I’m weird and crazy. So my work differs because I tend to write about things going on in my work life, my cats, my singleness and my travels. I don’t really find all that different but I guess I just have a different perspective on life than other people.
I just try not to worry about all that though. I blog for me. I blog about things that are interesting. I blog about my faith and things I am passionate about. I also blog for the community that I didn’t even know existed when I first started blogging.
3. Why do I write what I write?
I first started blogging as a joke and not seriously at all. I read about these “mommy bloggers” and was all well I can blog too! So I started one and it kind of took off. I found all these awesome bloggers, a community, and eventually new friends I never would have found.
But at the end of the day I blog for me. As an introvert I tend to keep things balled up inside and it’s helpful for me to write some things out (even though I don’t always publish everything). I blog about things that are interesting to me. I blog about being Catholic and things I am passionate about. I also blog for the community that I didn’t even know existed or needed when I first started blogging.
4. How does my writing process work?
I really wanted to just keep Jen’s answer for this question because for real that is how I write. I usually think of an idea and then just sit at my computer and go with it. I do much better at a computer than with pen and paper (plus I’m too lazy to retype the words). When I was in school one of the reasons why I HATED writing was because of the ridiculously long process they would make us use. Brainstorm, Outline, Rough Draft, Proofread, Edit, Final Draft. I just want to sit down and write something and then I’ll go back and proofread/edit it later and be done with it. The End.
Now for the fun part!
I’m introducing three of my blog friends to you today. Below are three women that I have been following. Some for a LONG time and others for not so long and one I even met in real life! I hope you will go and check out their blogs.
I met Joan a few months ago through the Not Alone Series link-up and we started commenting on each others blogs and talking to each other through twitter. She always gave such great advice in the Not Alone Series posts that I could relate to along with leaving great comments on my posts.
Last weekend I was lucky enough to MEET her in real life and she is just as sweet in person and glad to call her a friend in the blogging world and in real life!
Joan is a full-time Registered Dietitian who was born and raised in North Dakota. When this Midwestern girl is not encouraging patients to eat more fruits and vegetables, she can be found reading, running, playing piano, or spending time with friends and family. She has a passion for the Catholic faith and blogs at Everything is Yours.
I met Elizabeth through the 7 Quick Takes link-up. She commented on one of my posts and I liked what she had to say so I went and looked at her blog and commented on her post and looked at some of her previous posts (blog stalking at it’s best).
Since then we have started following each other on twitter and communicate back and forth. I love her posts they are easy to read, full of pictures, and have a lot of meaning all at the same time.
Elizabeth Kabacinski never realized that she would spend each and every day of her life catering to the diverse and insane needs of an international client-base. Since she does — and since their unique needs range in insanity from “quirky” to “psychotic” — she started a blog. When she isn’t blogging or interrogating her priest about random Catholic myths and mysteries, Elizabeth enjoys exploring Chicago, golfing, playing pool and volunteering.
You can find out what Elizabeth is up to at SuperSwellTimes, a Les Miserables-esque thriller about Catholicism, working from home and life with a four pound rabbit.
I also met Jen (another Jen…I know a lot of Jen bloggers) through the 7 Quick Takes Link-Up. We’re always one of the first few bloggers to link-up when the link-up goes live around midnight central time. She would comment on my posts and I would comment on hers. I found out she had cats as well and we met right around when Pierre went missing and she helped me through it. We’re now really good friends and I hope to be able to meet her in real life one day.
Jen isn’t quite sure when she lost her mind but she’s pretty sure it’s documented in the last 14 years of blogging at ::Meditatio::. When she isn’t chasing her son Daniel around or trying to avoid the heat in southern California, she loves reading, blogging, searching to find the perfect iced vanilla latt?, and spending time with her family.
I encourage you to check out each of these blogs, and next week, keep an eye out for their posts and the bloggers they introduce. I’ll be sharing their posts on my blog (probably part of 7 Quick Takes) and on twitter when they go up. It’s a great way to meet new bloggers and learn more about their writing process. Also, check out Jen’s post where I was featured!
The blog-hop continues!