A Century, An Award and Writing Advice!

Two weeks back, two happy things happened. First, this blog got 100 WordPress followers! A big shout out to all my followers. Thank you for reading my posts and liking and/or leaving comments. I appreciate it! Oh, and I also appreciate the silent readers who haven’t followed me on WordPress or subscribed to get email notification (still, do follow my blog, won’t you?).

Now, I know I haven’t been regularly posting lately, but seeing the 100+ follows encourages me to write more. I will be writing at least one post per week. You have my word.

The second exciting news is that I got nominated for Blogger Recognition Award by Neha at Wanderage. Thanks Neha!

Do check out Neha’s blog. She writes amazing articles.

Here are the 5 rules for this award:

Write a post to show your award.
Thank the person that nominated you.
Briefly describe your journey as a blogger.
Give advice to other bloggers.
Nominate the deserving ones.

My journey as a blogger started as a means of self expression. I wanted to voice out my opinions and share my stories. Blogging seemed to be a good way to reach out to people. I felt that it would be great if I could make just one person think from a different point of view, give someone a boost of confidence, bring a smile, provide motivation or make someone change even a little bit for the better. I also wanted to occasionally write about the books I love (because I’m a bibliophile on a mission to convert non-readers).

My advice to new bloggers are:

1. Keep writing. I know it seems too obvious, but many of us stop writing after a while. It isn’t that we lose interest. We just don’t seem to find the time and/or inspiration. Many writers, including myself, put writing on the back burner when they are busy and focus on every other possible task. Scheduling your writing time and not letting anything interfere with this sacred moment would help.
2. Write for the joy of writing. Sure, it is exciting to see likes and follows on your post. It is definitely a motivating factor. However, if you value only those and write for likes, your original style will vanish. So, will your joy.
3. Do not give importance to other people’s opinions. For the same post, there will be some people who tell you that it is too lengthy and others who tell you there isn’t enough content. You might even get contradictory feedbacks. Take all comments with a pinch of salt. If you think a suggestion is valid, incorporate it. Else, forget it. Remember that you can never satisfy everyone, but it is important to feel satisfied.
4. If you want to connect with fellow bloggers and get feedback, drop by the Community Pool in The Daily Post. You could even check out the Blogging University to get tips on your blog’s aesthetics and public presence.

Here are my nominees:

1. Neethu
2. GarfieldHug
3. Adhi
4. autumnchocolatebooks

 

Closing questions: If you are a reader, what kind of books and blogs do you read? On an average, how much time do you spend reading per week?

If you are a writer, what kind are you? Blogger? Author? Poet? What is your top advice on writing? Comment below!