On Blogging (pt. 1)

When I first moved to school, I didn’t tell anyone that I wrote a blog. I think my roommate (hi Charlotte!) knew, but other than that, I kept this little corner of the internet to myself during the first year. Then I ended up confessing to one of my friends or professors at some point, and it began to get out in my school community. Of course, around that time, I started blogging using my full name, and had it linked to my personal Facebook account, so it wasn’t that hard to find anymore.

Once it “got out”, so to speak, I wasn’t sure what to do with Farmgirl Writes anymore. It’s not exactly a travel blog, or an events blog, or a going out guide, is it? It’s not a Gossip-Girl-style blog, or full of extreme personal confessions (although you do find me sharing my heart occasionally). Was/is it lifestyle? It didn’t feel like the kind of lifestyle blog I would want to have, although honestly, that kind of blog would require an apartment, kitchen with lots of light, and time to create better content. None of those are things that I have right now. And that’s okay, but I still wasn’t sure where to go with FW.

That was, of course, not my only blogging dilemma. I knew blogging for six years had given me a wide range of skill sets to put on my resume, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to put a lifestyle blog (that I’d been running for fun!) on my professional resume. However, after encouragement from a professor, I put it on there, held my breath a bit, and sent it on it’s way. (Shockingly, I got called for an interview & and got an internship where I get to use some of those same skills. Life is funny how it works, you know?)

But now Farmgirl Writes is a bigger part of my routine. Blogging here, working on my social media presence, and creating content has become more of a focus, especially during this summer, and I’m thrilled to have a cleaner look (that I’m still fine-tuning, so apologies for some of the inconsistencies).

So in honor of blogging, I’d like to share just a few things that I’ve learned along the way. If you have a blog, are just starting out, or are thinking of blogging, definitely consider these things.

1. Love what you write about, and write it yourself. I love reading bloggers who have developed their own writing voice, and their blogs have a different quality because of that. Seriously. And even if you’re really good at blogging, if you don’t love what you’re writing about, than it will show. You know how everyone always says to find your niche? Well, find it. Once you know what you’re writing about and once you’re focused, I think you’re able to be a bit more genuine. If you’re lifestyle, than focus on something! For instance, even though I blog a wide range of topics, my niche (that I’m aiming for, at least) is being a Washington D.C. lifestyle and travel blog.

2. Do a series. For me, that’s Monday Inspiration or my newest series – Curated. It’s so much fun to write a series of posts that readers will recognize (“oh yeah, I love her curated series!” or “I always find something really interesting in Monday Inspiration!”). Fine – even if you don’t find my post series particularly inspiring, I think that giving readers something to look forward to each week/month is very important!

3. You don’t have to find a clique. Once upon a time, when I started blogging, a lot of my blogging friends were all in the same circles. There were the amazing bloggers that we all looked up to, and there were the copycats that everyone knew was copying someone else. There were the drama queens and the chill people. It was basically a high school clique. But now that group has grown up, and dispersed, and a lot of them have become photographers and so have moved on from everyday lifestyle blogging. And as much as I think that finding a blogging community is important, I think these super-competitive groups can be oh-so limiting. Because in a clique, you’re always trying to be the popular one, and honestly, there’s a lot to be said for just being. And writing what you know – and love. Competition can kill creativity.

If you’re reading this post and you have a blog, I’d love to read you! I adore adding people to my reading list, so let’s get on this, shall we? Comment with your blog link, and I’ll pop on over to say hello!

p.s. you might want to be online tomorrow. I heard a rumor that there might be a giveaway. 😉