Lately, I have given some thought to where my writing practice needs to go from here. I have particularly been thinking about this Blog. Throughout 2021 I have managed to post here almost weekly. I missed the week of my daughter’s wedding and a few weeks in December. While consistency matters, I also know I should give myself the occasional break, especially amid major life events!

PURPOSE

For me, publishing a blog serves several purposes. Writing is how I work things out in my head so that I know what I think. When I know I have readers, I feel responsible to write well, clearly, and to consider how others might respond. Blogging allows me to share my ideas and my journey as a writer. My hope is that this might help other writers in their journey too. 

A wise person once told me that, “everyone has a story.” I have mine and I have made my share of mistakes and have risen from them too. When I write, I aim to turn the ugly into something beautiful. I want to transform my poor choices and difficult times into a beautiful piece of art. My blog is a record of my journey as a writer and as a woman in this world.

EVOLUTION

Over the years this blog has morphed and it will continue to change. It began in 2012 called “My Little Cabin.”  I was a different person then. So I guess this is also a record of who I once was, who I am now, and where I am going. Growth as a writer is growth as a person. Growth means not stagnating. My aim is to learn new things every single day and to never stop being curious. This blog should be a reflection of that and therefore ever changing. 

TECH

My goal is to focus on the craft of writing. A blog is simply a tool to support that. It is an unwieldy tool. I don’t like spending a great deal of time making it pretty or user-friendly or easily available. However, all of that is a necessary evil in order for it to work for me. As a blogger, WordPress and other platforms are not as simple to use as I would like. I know I need to spend more time learning this skill if I am going to be successful. 

TRAFFIC

The main thing is attracting readers to my site.  I have been trying to understand how this works, but I am a slow learner when it comes to this. I share my blog on social media. I try to use relevant keywords, and I hope readers will appreciate what I have to say enough to share. The fact is, I am going to have to set aside some time to comprehend SEO’s, categories and tags, widgets and how to get readers to subscribe via email. I have so much to learn about a skill that holds little interest for me, but I know that to be a writer in the 21^st century, I need to add this to my skills. 

VALUE

There is value in maintaining a blog. I will continue to post weekly or every other week in spite of and because of my other writing projects. It’s a healthy exercise. It’s true I have much on my writing plate, but I think blogging enhances my other writing through sharing my thoughts with a community of writers and thinking about my Works-In-Progress. 

If you, dear reader, have experience with blogging and insight to share, please do. Perhaps we can learn from each other.