Have you just started blogging, been blogging for years, or in need of some fresh support?  Here is a resource for you to draw some encouragement from.  Hope this nudges you to find some joy in writing and managing a blog.

Why Write?

At some point in this journey of blogging I decided this needed to be more than a diary or place family could catch up. I wanted to use this passion for writing to share the faith in God that was deeply rooted in my heart.
I continued to pour out my heart week after week and often the response was crickets and naturally I questioned what on earth I was doing in this place. There were better spoken authors with neatly designed blogs and mine was amateur in comparison! But I loved writing and sharing so I kept pushing through.

I started to wrestle with God about my purpose for writing and I finally was willing to admit how desperate I wanted to be appreciated or have my writing adored and it hit me there would be no one encouraged by a girl who wanted the spotlight. It wouldn’t lead a lost or broken soul to a place of rest and that bothered me.

You and I want to be heard and if you’re days are anything like mine it can sometimes feel like we aren’t. Having this blog blesses the writer in me. It’s where I come and worship God through written word. I wonder if you too feel the same? There is always a balance required when managing a blog as it can be easy to spend hours on the computer. But if you truly enjoy having a place of your one, then write because the passion in you needs an outlet and because there is someone browsing the web that needs a light.

Write about family, crafting, food, fitness, or your faith but do it for the glory of God, not to the glory of you. There is a lot of joy in writing when God is prompting you to.

To the Critics

I sat down and plugged away writing a post filled with 15 songs for a deployment list. I put together songs that brought me hope during such a hard season and so it was a surprise to receive a comment like this after posting it:

Is this solely intended to make you even more depressed that your spouse is deployed?! I’ve been through 4 deployments with my husband and I would never sit there and listen to these songs and depress myself further! This is ridiculous !

I wrote something that I’m assuming this reader never took the time to listen to. It was discouraging to receive negative feedback but it was the first time my blog had faced some heat. I sort of rejoiced about it because this meant growth.

Someone will eventually leave you a comment that may rattle your cage. It may even make you want to step back from writing. Do NOT.
Most of the time it has nothing to do with you. Although you may have written something that wasn’t accurate most of the time the reader is dealing with their own struggles and you happen to be in their path while they’re dealing with it. It’s unfortunate but listen to them because they may have a point and if they don’t then don’t take it personally.

Keep writing and moving forward with a kind attitude. I don’t suggest deleting posts that are similar to this because nothing is lost here. However, there is a point where I feel it’s fine to hit the delete button. This is your place and sometimes you will have to usher a reader to the door if they are being inappropriate and have no intention of letting up.
I make it a point to pray for them and check my heart in the process.
It will happen but understand that it’s possible you were misunderstood and use wisdom when responding.

The Numbers

Eventually you’ll discover a blog that has more readers and appears much more worthy of people’s time than the blog you are keeping. I understand this completely.
A blog’s following can be what appears to define the writer. Please brush this aside and keep doing what you love. Slow and steady is fine in building a wonderful community. It is tempting to use a strategy of building up followers fast but there is emptiness in that.
Right now there are 190 people who follow my blog’s facebook page and I love that each and every one of those people want to be there. I didn’t like their page to get them to like mine or pay them to read, and most of them are on board with what I write and draw some encouragement from it. They are not a number to me. I see their faces and welcome them each into the small community I am keeping. I love it! Not every post I write or status update is filled with feedback but when we get the ball rolling on conversation it’s respectful and I’m getting to know these women on a deeper level and I really do pray for them by name. Keeping a note pad close by allows me to jot down their name and come back later when I’m praying.

This didn’t always happen and for about a year I struggled with feeling less than when it came to my numbers. I had about 15 people coming to read my blog posts and you bet I checked those stats faithfully. It grew a seed of discontentment and I was tempted to do a little quick fix with gaining readership. I don’t want to go as far as to say it’s cheating but you won’t enjoy a harvest of readers that could care less about what you’re writing and only liked your page to have you like theirs.

So what about link-ups?
Personally I only have entered in a few either because I loved the blog hosting or did want to meet some other bloggers. I’ve been encouraged by those girls and am thankful for those meet-ups.

I have not been on the side of thousands of readers and I’m okay with where we are now. God has given me a wonderful community to reach and invest into. My plate is full and i’m thankful.
I won’t give you the bit, ‘Even if you’re writing for just one’ because I know how hard that is. But if you are called to write and are passionate about it keep doing it because eventually someone will catch on and find it a blessing. That one person should be worth it.

Don’t feel rejected if you lose readers because sometimes the direction you take isn’t what they like or for reasons you may not know they are no longer connecting with the your writing. As my mom would say, ‘Let it go’.

Thank God for the people who have gathered and treat them well. Make your space comfortable and cozy for anyone that decides to stop by.
It is far better to have a few faithful readers than a thousand who could care less.

Design on a Dime

Right now I have changed my blog design a dozen times and am still tweaking it. Part of the fun is learning to create a design that you love and others find easy on the eyes.
Take your time and have fun with it!
There are a lot of resources that allow you to use backgrounds for free, and plenty of editing tools out there that allow you to create graphics. A personal favorite is PicMonkey or FotoFlexer.
There are endless possibilities and if you have the funds to pay for a talented designer, that’s wonderful!
Right now I’ve had to build this site up on a dime and I’m alright with that for now. I won’t pretend the green monster doesn’t make a visit from time to time but I’m finding it okay where I’m at. Be very careful with the graphics you pick up off the internet. It would be a bad thing to be caught stealing, take the time to read the copyrights with each picture you use. There are great resources like 123RF that allow you to use pictures.  Normally you are not allowed to take them and sell them but read each copyright. These pictures and graphics are someone’s work and it’s nice to credit them. I know if someone took the words I wrote and re-posted as their own I’d feel bad.

All that to say be mindful of copyright laws.

Errors

I am going here because it’s something that I really can’t stand about my own writing.  I love to write but am well aware that most posts are filled with errors.  The problem is i’m going to fall short in this area but the good news is I am not ignorant of my mistakes and am taking steps to learning how to be a better writer.  Seriously I would love to sit in elementry school to re-learn English and proper grammer, spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure.
I haven’t had anyone correct me at this point because the people that do edit my posts as they read probably dashed out the door.  I’m thankful for the grace my readers extend to me but I do want to make the most of their time spent on this blog.
All we can do is continue to learn and dig into the many resources available like these youtube videos.
: )

Have grace on yourself, we are not perfect in this writing but it doesn’t hurt to expand our education.

For now that’s it but I plan to add to this in the future.  Hopefully this was an encouragement!
Enjoy the journey dear one!

~Laura~