How to: Be a Blogger

Every time someone finds out I'm a blogger the first thing they say is, "Oh my life is not interesting enough for someone else to read about". That always makes me laugh because, honestly neither is mine. There is this image of a "blogger" as this mystical person that has the most adventurous life. People flock to their blog to read all about their amazing insight, hysterical stories and touching moments. All while some how making enough money solely by blogging, that they get to just stay at home and write.

Ready to have your bubble popped....
It's not true. I wish I could say I was that cool. That I had people flocking to my blog, that I made some sort of substantial money, or that my life had some adventure. But its none of that, blogging is just writing. It's writing that human element that we all share. Its just Life. Its human interest. Its meeting friends over a cup of coffee and instead of being face to face, your reading their words.

Their words, your words can be about anything. That is the great thing about words, you can make them what you want. If you want to write about food, recipes, and all that yumminess do it! Trust me I will read it and pretend I can cook.  Love fashion? Write about it. Are you a poet, stringing words together in a melody? WRITE IT!

Be a blogger, it gets your writing out there. You get feed back, your hone your skill, and you can "meet" a lot of amazing people. Some of the people out there that I feel the closest too are fellow bloggers! Have I ever meet them face to face? No. Is there a connection there, yes. When you share you life, you connect. If it is just one piece of your life your still sharing.

Isn't that what writing is all about?

Tell Me Something About Yourself {Weekly Writing Prompt}

Welcome to Voices: Write to be Heard weekly writing prompt!  After you have written a post or article inspired by our writing prompt, link up so we can all read each other’s work.  Remember, even if you aren’t a blogger, writing prompts are great practice, or start a blog so you can link up with us! 

Happy Writing,

Abbie

This week, tell me a little something about yourself.  Here are some questions to get you started.

1)  What kinds of things really make you laugh?

2)   What’s your favorite place in the entire world?

3)  What should I know about you that I’d never think to ask about?

Can’t wait to learn a little more about y'all.

Last week I spoke at our Voices Third Thursday meeting on how to make a career as a freelancer. So, I thought I would share a few tips about how to be a good freelancer and keep those assignments rolling in: 

• Respect deadlines. Turning in an assignment late -- especially more than once -- makes editors grumpy and lessens the chances they will turn to you for future assignments.
• Be familiar with the publication. This means reading a few issues and understanding the various departments, the tone, the focus and the kind of content they publish.
• Pitch the right contact/editor. Sometimes it’s hard to know exactly who that is, but at least check out the masthead or even the website where there are often submission guidelines. If it’s still unclear, you can always call and ask.
• Accept edits and rewrites. Don’t be offended if the editor asks you to rework a piece. That’s part of the business and will help you develop thick skin. Use it as an opportunity to learn some new writing techniques.
• Follow AP Style (or the publication’s preferred style). Most newspaper and magazines follow Associated Press style rules so familiarize yourself with those. Editors are happy when they don’t have to edit a ton of style (and grammar) errors. And happy editors give you more assignments.
• Make yourself invaluable. Act like part of the team even if you aren’t technically on staff. Become that go-to freelancer who meets deadlines, writes clean copy, pitches good ideas and is pleasant. 

How to Create a Blog

Last night at our Third Thursday I spoke with some of you ladies about blogging. A few of you wanted to know more about starting a blog. Today we are talking about how to create your blog.
It is not complex, but it does take a few minutes and filling out a few forms.

Here is How To: Set up a Blogger Blog!

Go to www.blogger.com. Fill in your email (if you have a gmail account) if not you can register for one. If you already have an email account, you can set the gmail to just be your blogger account. I'll go over that in a min.

Next, you can pick if you want a google+ profile or just a blogger profile. 

Next is where you create your blog by picking a Blog Title, then a URL. Your Blog Title is what your blog will be called and they do not have to match. For instance my Blog Title is Mrs Pate Writes, but my URL is mrstmpate.blogspot.com.  Your Blog Title can be changed at anytime, but your URL should not be changed. 

Once you pick a name, and URL, the next step is to pick a template. There are amazing, easy to use templates on blogger and can be changed at any time, and can be customized.

 When your blog is "created" your next step is to simply post! A post is what you are writing.

 Hit Publish, and volia! You are an official Blogger!

Every week we're going to walk you wonderful ladies through different aspects of writing, blogging, and anything else you have questions about! I want this to be something that is truly beneficial to you, but for that to happen I need to know "what do you need"? What are the things you want to know more about? Please leave a comment below and we will take them a week at a time. There is no question too big, to small, or too silly! We want each of you to grow in this process, for that to happen we need to know what you need! I would love to know if any of you start a blog! If you do and would like to share it, copy your URL into the comment section below! 

Did You Know?

Tonight is Third Thursday with our very own Holly Fisher, owner of HAF Creative. She will talk about the many paths to creating a career as a freelance writer, including writing for print and online outlets as well as business and marketing copywriting. Fisher is a full-time freelance writer. Her work has been published in several Charleston area publications. Learn more about her at www.HAFCreative.com.  In addition, blogger Tiffany Pate will do a Q&A answering bloggers’ technical questions. Pate blogs at Mrs Pate Writes.

.........................................................................

.

Did you know every week when you link up to the weekly writing prompt, your post could end up here?

Yes, here!

If you don't have a blog just email us at voicescharleston(at)gmail(dot)com.
Who knows maybe next week we will be reading your writing.

Back to School {Weekly Writing Prompt}

Have you seen it? Backpacks, number two pencils, notebooks, the fall crispiness in the air. Okay, maybe no crispiness in the air. This is my favorite time of the year, new notebooks empty waiting to be filled with thoughts and words, so many new opportunities, new hopes, new starts.

This week for the writing prompts I though we would change it up a bit. 
Here are three options to be inspired from: 

What is your favorite school memory? 

Flying is learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.
Douglas Adams
 
Change is the end result of all true learning.
Leo Buscaglia

Don't forget to link up or email your writing to voicescharleston(at)gmail(dot)com

Value Your Work

This week I’ll be speaking at our Voices Third Thursdays meeting on the topic of making a career as a freelance writer. One piece of advice I’ll be sure to mention is the importance of seeing yourself as a professional writer and not devaluing your work by charging too little.

A few years back I signed up for a three-month subscription to Guru.com. This is a site where people post jobs and then you can bid on the work. I’d get a daily email of writing-related jobs and then could decide if I wanted to place my bid. I bid on a few and ended up getting one blogging job that lasted more than a year so it was worth the $100 I paid for the subscription.

But, what shocked me was the number of horrible jobs that were posted. People wanted tons of copy written for a $5. I’m not exaggerating - $5! That’s not worth booting up your computer. The sad fact is that people are willing to work for that.

I discourage writers from working for free or taking low-paying jobs. Yes, a few exceptions apply, including doing pro bono work for a beloved nonprofit or because you value the publication and really want that clip.

But as a general rule, get paid (and paid well) for your work. If you’re pursuing a full-time career as a freelancer, you’ll never make a living on $5 checks.

That may not be my traditional Monday “nuts and bolts” kind of writing tip but it’s an important one nonetheless. Getting paid what you’re worth not only shows others value your work but, more importantly, that you value it too.