I've been blogging for almost 8 years now. That is absolute crazy town, but I've enjoyed it every step of the way. I've met a lot of great people and found my voice as a writer and I don't plan on stopping any time soon!
Sometimes, people will ask me some questions about the process or about some of the specifics of the blog. So, today, I thought I'd address some of those FAQ's! If there's anything I don't answer, feel free to ask in the comments or on Facebook or Twitter.
Q. When do you write the blogs?
A. I mostly write mid-morning. For whatever reason, that's when my creative juices are flowing the most. I also write at night while Ellie is asleep.
Q. Do you write your posts ahead of time and schedule them? Or do you write it and immediately post it?
A. Nine times out of ten, I write and immediately post. Unless it's some crazy time of the day that I know no one will be reading it, I post when I write it. I do try to post things at times that people will read them, otherwise it gets lost in your newsfeed and no one ever reads it. Also, sometimes I will decide "On Friday I'll post Christmas pics of the house" or something like that. But that's about as much as I calendar at this point. I like the freedom of getting an idea and writing about it immediately. Oh, and I do calendar the award shows! The Emmy Awards, Oscars, and Golden Globes are already in my calendar so I remember not to schedule anything for that night.
Q. Do you know what you're going to write when you sit down to write? Or do you just sit there and start typing?
A. Honestly, both. Sometimes I will be driving and will think of something I want to write about, and I basically "write" the whole thing in my head and then go home and crack open the Macbook and just hammer it out. Other times, I know I need to blog, so I'll sit down and look at the flashing cursor and type "hello" about 700 times until I think of something I want to say!
Q. Do people ever say negative things about what you write?
A. Rarely, but it has happened. This is mostly when people don't understand my humor. I will write something, trying to be funny, and someone just won't realize that I'm kidding. They don't get the sarcasm. For example, one time I posted a video of an amazingly talented child opera singer and said "It's a shame she can't sing!" and someone chastised me for being critical of a child. Or, in another case, I've been told that they don't care for my style of writing or all my sentence fragments. And that's okay. I write in the manner in which I talk and that's just how it is. It's my blog and I can write how I want to!
Q. Have you ever regretted something you posted?
A. Yes, one time, and I deleted the post.
Q. What does Grant think of your blog?
A. He likes it! He doesn't read every single post, but most of them. I have to be careful to not embarrass him. It's one thing to tell all of you what a mess I am, but he didn't ask for that. All in all, he knows it's a creative outlet for me.
Q. How many people read your blog?
A. It depends. Some posts are more "shareable" - several thousand read the blog about the frog. (Look under the Greatest Hits tab for "Panic at the Front Door.") Other times it's only 800 or so. It just depends. I don't really care about the numbers as much.
Q. Do you ever worry about creepers?
A. Yes, I used to. I don't as much anymore, I've done this a long time and I've never had any weirdos. Occasionally I will be somewhere and someone will ask me if I'm "Jen the Newlywed" (what this blog used to be called) but that hasn't happened in awhile. I also try not to post about vacations until we are already home from vacations, so people don't get to have free reign to come rob us. But, also, I don't live in fear of that kind of stuff.
Q. Do you make money off of the blog?
A. Minimal. I have a few ads in the sidebar that generate some revenue, but we ain't living off of that income or anything like that!
Q. What has surprised you most about blogging?
A. That people still read it!
Q. What is your plans for the future of the blog?
A. I have no idea. I just want to keep writing and telling my stories. As long as you'll read them, I'll write them.
If you have any other questions, send them my way! Thanks for reading, folks.
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