Today’s guest post is by Yvette Pistorio.
When I was in journalism school I wanted to be Andy Andersen, the how-to girl in “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.”
My plan was to move to New York City and work for Cosmo or one of the Condé Nast publications.
None of it happened.
At the time, I never even considered becoming a blogger.
I was too depressed my brilliant plan fell through.
But alas, I found blogging or rather it found me and I’m happy we met.
I started my own blog when I got engaged four years ago. My then fiancé would glaze over when I started asking him what he thought about this centerpiece or that type of flower. He told me I should start blogging about planning our wedding.
Genius, I know, that’s why I married him! (Please be gentle with me if you read that blog! I hadn’t written a story since college.)
Then I got a job as a social media manager and part of the role was blogging. I was so excited I finally got a job where I was getting PAID to write!
Great bloggers can make blogging look easy. However, the reality is coming up with fresh ideas on a regular basis is hard work. Nothing rewarding is easy after all.
It’s the start of a brand new year, and some of you might be considering starting your own blog, or writing more for your organization.
After blogging for just more than three years now, here are a few lessons I’ve learned along the way.
- There are good and bad days. There are days where I can’t write a single word down and others where I write too many. There aren’t any short-cuts and there isn’t an easy way out. Blogging is hard work.
- Dive into blogging. There will never be a perfect time to start blogging, so just do it. A bit like having children, you won’t appreciate what it really takes until you start.
- The non-writing aspects of blogging. Beyond actually writing the blog post, there’s copyediting, design, SEO, technical support, and I’m sure I’m missing something else. These things take time. Sometimes I spend more time trying to find an image that goes along with my post then I do on the actual writing.
- Be yourself. There are a lot of bloggers and writers I admire, but I don’t try to emulate them. In reality, I can’t. I have my own voice. Plus it’s too exhausting to try and sustain a different voice and personality.
- Short sentences and short paragraphs. You’ll do better with short sentences and paragraphs. No one wants to plow through huge blocks of text. Trust me, I have a REALLY short attention span.
I love blogging. It’s fun and I get to write about topics I love.
But what I love most about blogging is what you learn, and where that learning can take you – heck, you can climb Mount Everest or fly away to Paris, twice a day if you want!
What lessons have you learned from blogging and what would you recommend to other bloggers?
Yvette Pistorio is an account executive and community manager for Arment Dietrich. She is a lover of pop culture, cupcakes, and HGTV, and enjoys a good laugh. There are a gazillion ways you can find her online. You can find her on Twitter (Spin Sucks and personal), Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Google+.