I have been blogging for a little over two years now, and have become far more comfortable and confident about sharing my writing in that time period than I ever thought I would be. However, my favorite thing about blogging is not being able to share my writing, although I do really love that. My favorite thing about blogging is interacting with other bloggers.
I started blogging with the intention of being a book blogger. I have always loved books and reading, and have always been very
While on Goodreads, I noticed that many members also ran book blogs, and decided that I wanted to give blogging a try. So I created my own blog and started writing reviews. You can still find those reviews, though I would rather you didn't. They can be pretty cringe-worthy at times. After a while, I became sort of bored with just blogging about books and decided that there was a whole wealth of other subjects that mattered to me and that I wanted to write about- everything from music to art to comic book movies to feminism.
So I changed my blog's url to something that wasn't book-specific and began churning out new posts. Initially my blog was something that I just shared with friends, family, and members of my book club. However, as time went on, I began to really want to share my blog with a larger audience on the internet. So I got a Twitter to promote my blog, which I think is one of the best blogging-related decisions I have ever made.
Twitter is such a great way to share your blog with a wider audience and meet wonderful people who share your interests. Through it I have been able to interact with both fellow bloggers and authors of books I have read. While social media does definitely have some downsides, I will never cease to be impressed by the way it can create new connections and relationships. I have met so many other amazing bloggers via Twitter, and am inspired by their kindness on and their awesome blogs to be a better, more communicative blogger.
When I first started blogging, I admit that I wasn't thinking at all about the relationships that I might form with other bloggers, but now that is one of the things that I value most about blogging. I am sort the sort of person who keeps to themselves and is very sensitive about sharing their writing with others. I don't think that a year ago I would have ever guessed that I would taking part in a group blog with thirteen other girls who all live on the opposite side of the Atlantic Ocean. Things like becoming a member of Through Our Eyes have given me amazing opportunities to write creatively and share my writing with new audiences, but I never would have had these opportunities if I hadn't taken steps to promote my blog and get to know other bloggers.
So, for anyone out there who loves writing and is considering starting a blog or who is already blogging but hasn't really communicated with other blogging community yet, I encourage you to be brave and put your writing out there for other bloggers to read. It can take a lot of courage, but I have found that it usually worth it in the end. The blogging community is full of kind, encouraging people who share your love for writing and who will encourage or support you. And that, for me, is worth all of the follows and likes in the world.
2 comments
This is such a thoughtful post! I am a new reader to your blog but I can already say I like the way you think! Will be following your blog for sure!
ReplyDeletewww.itssimplyme.com
Thank-you! That means a lot :)
Delete-Minerva http://nerdwordblog.blogspot.com/