What you Need to Know Before You Begin Blogging

Where do I even start?

Six years ago, I was pretty sure that I could start a blog and become the next Pioneer Woman, just like that.  But it didn’t work out that way.

The truth is, blogging is more than meets the eye.  There is a LOT that goes on behind the scenes. 

Before you jump right in, you should know:

• Blogging is writing.  It doesn’t matter if you’re writing about home décor or crafts to do with your toddlers or bicycling across the US.  Blogging is writing, and if you really hate writing, that’s going to be a problem. You don’t have to be a phenomenal writer to be a good blogger, but you do have to write.  And revise.  And edit.  (Or find someone to do it for you.)

• Blogging is photography.  Almost all great bloggers are also great photographers.  You don’t have to be a professional, but there are some basic photography and editing skills you need. (I’ll cover those later.)

• Blogging is technical.  As in, there is technology involved.  That technology doesn’t always cooperate, and it isn’t always easy to figure out.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

• Blogging doesn’t happen overnight. You will hear crickets.  Probably for the first 6 months, or 50 blog posts, you will feel like you’re talking to no one.  NO ONE.  (Except maybe your mom.)  It takes time to build a following.

• Blogging (and social media) is constantly changing.  You have to keep learning. And just when you feel like you’re caught up, it will change again and you’ll have to start learning again.

Still think you want to be a blogger?

There’s here’s a little encouragement for you from the amazing Ira Glass.

“Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.”

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