Happy Sunday everyone.
I normally don't post on Sunday, but it's a lovely sunny morning here in Central Florida, and I was thinking about my cyber sister Siv of Been there, done that. She lives in the frozen north in Norway and has a month long blogfest for her one year blogoversary. She is asking blogger buddies to post their first post or write a post on why they started to blog.
Unfortunately, I deleted my first few posts. Damn. I would love to get a good laugh, catching all my typos and bad grammar. LOL.
Yes, thanks to my wonderful blogger friends I have improved over a thousand percent. You all have been very supportive and patient with me. Entering the blogging world truly changed my life.
My tale begins with ABNA 2010. Many of you know my story, so please forgive me while I retell it to my new blogger friends.
After the miracle of making the first cut, I anxiously awaited for round two results. I didn't make it into the quarter finals, but I was going to get two reviews and I was quite excited about that. In 2010, ABNA was a bit unorganized and I had to wait weeks more for the reviews.
Nails biting, and with the tension building, they finally were posted. I freaked! Not the best, and one reviewer called my writing amateur. Crushed, I posted my results on the threads through ABNA. One shining star came to my aide. Furious, Erica of erica and christy, wrote a comment stating that we are ALL amateurs and that review was hurtful and unprofessional. She had offered to be my crit partner for a while until I could manage to fix my manuscript myself.
Well, she had mentioned blogging to me. I have never thought about it and decided to haunt her new blog and discovered many others that I really enjoyed reading. About a month later my blog debuted. Of course, Erica was my first follower.
And now I have over five hundred friends who I admire and try desperately to keep in touch with. As we all know it isn't easy, but as a community we stand strong. Thank you all for sharing my ups and downs, but mainly for your heart and soul. You have lifted my spirits more than I can possibly say.
Now I would love to hear your story.... Why did you start blogging? How has it inspired you?
Also, please stop by to Siv's blog here. You will LOVE her and she is hosting a contest for 500 followers.
I would like to leave you a bit of sea and sunshine.
Enjoy your Sunday everyone.
I normally don't post on Sunday, but it's a lovely sunny morning here in Central Florida, and I was thinking about my cyber sister Siv of Been there, done that. She lives in the frozen north in Norway and has a month long blogfest for her one year blogoversary. She is asking blogger buddies to post their first post or write a post on why they started to blog.
Unfortunately, I deleted my first few posts. Damn. I would love to get a good laugh, catching all my typos and bad grammar. LOL.
Yes, thanks to my wonderful blogger friends I have improved over a thousand percent. You all have been very supportive and patient with me. Entering the blogging world truly changed my life.
My tale begins with ABNA 2010. Many of you know my story, so please forgive me while I retell it to my new blogger friends.
After the miracle of making the first cut, I anxiously awaited for round two results. I didn't make it into the quarter finals, but I was going to get two reviews and I was quite excited about that. In 2010, ABNA was a bit unorganized and I had to wait weeks more for the reviews.
Nails biting, and with the tension building, they finally were posted. I freaked! Not the best, and one reviewer called my writing amateur. Crushed, I posted my results on the threads through ABNA. One shining star came to my aide. Furious, Erica of erica and christy, wrote a comment stating that we are ALL amateurs and that review was hurtful and unprofessional. She had offered to be my crit partner for a while until I could manage to fix my manuscript myself.
Well, she had mentioned blogging to me. I have never thought about it and decided to haunt her new blog and discovered many others that I really enjoyed reading. About a month later my blog debuted. Of course, Erica was my first follower.
And now I have over five hundred friends who I admire and try desperately to keep in touch with. As we all know it isn't easy, but as a community we stand strong. Thank you all for sharing my ups and downs, but mainly for your heart and soul. You have lifted my spirits more than I can possibly say.
Now I would love to hear your story.... Why did you start blogging? How has it inspired you?
Also, please stop by to Siv's blog here. You will LOVE her and she is hosting a contest for 500 followers.
I would like to leave you a bit of sea and sunshine.
Enjoy your Sunday everyone.
24 comments:
So glad someone came to stick up for you! People can be mean - sometimes without even thinking about it. There are certainly nicer ways of telling someone their work needs more work! Glad you joined the blogging world and it's sunny and warm here, too, if you can believe it :)
Thanks for sharing your story and some sunshine along with warmth to brighten my day. Please do add your link to my blogfest. You do want to share and win a troll, don't you?
Why did I start? For purely selfish reasons I'm afraid. After two years of dealing with the deaf community (soon after I'd gone deaf myself), I was sick of the boxed in assumptions everyone had about me.
I wanted to branch out and be my own person. Not to mention Pickles - my working dog for the deaf was about to make an entrance in my life. I started blogging simply to find my voice and chronicle Pickles life.
Turns out over time I found out against the odds, I had a rather LOUD voice online. I went from advocating against domestic abuse, animal cruelty, and native rights to finding my way as a writer.
These days my blog serves one purpose - a writing log of experiences. I've grown along the way. Those early critiques were harsh, we all start somewhere as floundering hatch-lings trying to find our feet. (Hugs)Indigo
...its those small but uplifting comments that often carry the inspiration to move mountains.
A couple years ago, my editor suggested that I start a blog in order to get my "voice" out there and be heard, prior to the publication of "South of Charm." Since then, I consider my new friends/peers as the main reason for my continued postings. Quite the support group we've established.
Love the pic, Micheal of my former home state. Can you smell the jealousy brewing? It tastes a bit more sour than the salty breeze you're currently enjoyng ;)
El
All you needed was one word of encouragement.
I started blogging to establish a platform. I've stayed for the friendships and the community. From where I am at right now with my blog, I can do so much for others, as the support and encouragement was given to me.
That was nice of Erica to offer you a kind word.
I started blogging almost seven years ago after attending the Virginia Festival of the Book and hearing M J Rose and Kevin Smokeler do a workshop on it. I only blogged one day a week and often blogged as one of the characters from my YA series.
It wasn't until a few years later that GFC made it easier to follow blogs that I began exploring the blogging world and making friends.
Now I am here to offer tips to other writers and authors. No one wants to make all the mistakes I did in the beginning!
Yours is an inspiring story, Michael... and there have been many times where you have played the same role as Erica did for you, for me... and no doubt lots of others too... so, thank you!
I started because I fancied doing the A-Z last year and needed somewhere to do it... and then I was hooked... to the friendships, the advice, the support and the writing.
Laura x
I started on a whim not really expecting much of a response. Didn't realise how many people were already out here. Community in every sense of the word.
mood
I started blogging as a way to journal about my progress, or lack thereof:-), as an artist. I have kept journals since I was 13 and thought this was a perfect fit for me. I never dreamt I'd meet so many great people while blogging and get as many followers as I have! I assumed no one would be interested in reading or seeing anything about my life but I found that by taking an interest in other blogger's posts it was returned...some days I wish I had nothing but time to read everybody's posts! I started in 2009.
A nice story about your 'start' as well as the others.
Great story! :)
I started blogging because I was looking for an outlet other than writing.
Well, it is good to know you stuck with the writing. Many people take the criticism they receive too harshly (and some of it is harsh), then quit. It's great that someone defended you.
On a side note, I miss central Florida. In fact, yesterday I was thinking about Daytona and Orlando. One thing I don't miss is all the tourist traps! lol
I also started blogging on a whim, more to leave comments as myself than to actually post myself. I still haven't achieved a platform, but at least I have made some very good friends and crit partners.
That picture makes me want to visit Ft Bragg here in CA. I've been wanting to attend the Mendocino Coast Writers Conference again, so its even more appealing.
Have a great day Michael.
......dhole
Gorgeous picture!
Why did I start blogging? A place to write when I was at work and because a friend was heading up NaBloWriMo and she wanted me to participate. now I blog because I have so many blogging buddies (like you!) that I am afraid I'd lose touch if I didn't keep on.
Glad you're having a good trip!
Oh, what beautiful sea and sunshine! Thank you for sharing that, and for your story. Like you, I feel like I've grown hugely as a result of blogging. We (the Critique Sisters -- critiquessisters.blogspot.com) started blogging as a group after meeting in Hawaii in a writers workshop. It never would have happened without Heather, who knew a thing or two about blogging and suggested the idea. This online community has been fantastic for all of us. Generous. Supportive. Our peeps! I know agents want writers to blog in order to build a platform, and even tell us not to blog about writing. I just don't buy that. I think we blog because it not only gives us community, but helps us strengthen our writing skills and expand our writing horizons through learning from and sharing with others in this great community we'd never be able to have in person. Thanks for your blog, Michael, and keep up the good work!!! :)
LOVELY photo. Makes me want the beach. Ahh...
Anyway, great story about blogging! I often forget the reason I started when I get swamped with other things and don't have time, but it was all for the love of the writing. Heard all the time about how having an online presence was essential. I know there are two sides to that debate, but I do feel having a platform is important for more than just getting published and after you're published like I originally thought. The friends and support I've gained along the way has already made blogging beyond worth it. Have a great week!
Okay, been over to check Siv's blog now back to comment on yours :-)
I started blogging almost a year ago. I thought it was something I'd like to do once I decided I was serious about writing. I'm so glad I did, I've made so many friends from all over the world.
Funny, I remember when you first started blogging! I loved your blog then and I do now! You've got a lovely warm conversational tone.
I may have to enter this. I basically started blogging with no idea what I was getting into. But now a year later, I have people actually wanting to help beta-read my stuff whereas everyone I knew in person politely refused. What a godsend! And I got feedback...the tough stuff...telling me to rewrite 30% and I love it. A year ago I would have killed to have this. And now I get it for free. So awesome.
Thanks so much for sharing your story! And I agree with a poster above...the comments really are uplifting. We as writers need to support each other!
I started blogging both as a platform (knowing my book would eventually go out on submission) and as a way to meet other writers. It's such a great community!
That is a wonderful story! And I LOVE Erica (and Christy!)--those guys are the shining example of what is so great about this blogging-writer community we've got here. That is so fantastic.
I did that origins blogfest back on 2/21, remember? It's how I started blogging/writing, but the short story is Janet Reid said to. :D And I've never regretted the awesome, supportive, amazing writer friends I've made as a result. You included! :o) <3
It's amazing what a difference one person can make when we need some encouragement, isn't it? Yay for Erica!
And you've done well to work so hard and improve so much, Michael.
Good luck today!
What a great story! And I'm so glad you started blogging. The community wouldn't be the same without you. I started to build my platform but I kept doing it because of the fantastic people that I've connected with. :)
Love your story. Glad I came across your blog too. I started blogging because I saw Julie and Julia and then read a writing magazine about blogging. Having been disappointed by forums I found blogging to be the answer to my prayers. x
Post a Comment