5 tips to start (and stick to) blogging

This is not exactly my usual kind of post, as I'm mostly a crafty girl. But inspiration strikes us unexpectedly sometimes - the topic actually came to me while reading a magazine which featured an article on blogging. Mostly, the article associated blogging success with a large list of tools and techniques successful bloggers apparently use.

And that made me think. Now, I have nothing against tools and techniques, they are useful, even essential, no matter what you do. But I feel there has to be a bit more than that. Like everything in life, I firmly believe that if you want to start and stick to something, you need to love what you do. 

So, from the perspective of a non-professional blogging lover, here are my tips to start (and stick) to blogging: 

Choose the Right Theme

If you are going to write a few posts a week, you need to make sure you are writing about something you love - and can easily find inspiration for. I could write an occasional article about fashion (or blogging tips, for that matter) but I could never have a long term fashion blog because I know that after three or four posts at the most, I would be out of fresh things to say.

But if you choose something that interests and inspires you daily, you will always find something to talk about. And your love for the underlying subject will show in each and every one of your posts, and your readers will feel it too. 

 Capitalize on synergies between your online and your offline life

If you're writing about something you love. most likely it's something you're involved with in your personal life. Capitalize on that and you will never lack inspiration for new blog posts - you just may lack the time to write all of them, but I can guarantee lots of ideas will be swimming around in your head until you can actually sit down to publish them. 

This is what I do with my blogs - I love to read, so The Book Worm, a blog about books reviews, comes naturally to me. As I read two to three books a week and I always have an opinion about each of them, it's not hard to write new posts. And I love crafts and homemade stuff, so Keeping it Real is a showcase of everything I would make whether I had a blog to brag about it or not. 

Interact with your readers

This is the one thing I really wished I had more time for. Because no matter how much you love writing, the bottom line is that blogging only makes sense if someone on the other side is reading your posts. Interacting with your readers will give you priceless tips about what you are doing right and what needs to be improved. And who knows, a comment published in the blog may just provide you with the inspiration you need for your next post. 

 

  

Look everywhere for inspiration

And I mean everywhere. This is a bit of a follow up of point two above, but inspiration for a blog post can come from anywhere, really - a book, a magazine, a shop display, a conversation you have over coffee with friends...Keep a pen and a small notebook in your purse and take notes whenever you have an idea.

Keep your objectives realistic (but still make sure you fulfill them)

I have a home and a family, I work full time out of the house and I have two blogs. Blogging is just one of my many hobbies and I have no extra budget for it, so I can't measure myself against professional bloggers or I will be sorely disappointed all the time.

Life has a tendency to become overwhelming sometimes, so you need to keep your priorities straight. Your goals in blogging, whatever they are, should be realistic and adjusted to what you feel you can achieve and what you actually have time for. Of course you should challenge yourself and strive to improve day after day, but don't be too hard on yourself - otherwise you will end up disheartened with the whole thing and that's the step just before giving up.

If you want to stick to blogging you need to be happy about what you're doing, and that should be measured as the most important part of your success. 

And here it is, as simple as that: if you love it, you will most likely find a way to stick to it - and you will hardly lack for things to talk about. 

Happy Tuesday, and happy blogging!