As I mentioned in my previous post, I don’t make New Years resolutions anymore but this year I have decided to set myself a few blogging goals. Nothing big, just a few little tweaks here and there.
When I first started A Pocketful Of Dandelions I was pretty militant about not getting involved in the social media side of blogging but at the end of last year I decided that I was just cutting off my nose to spite my face. I now have Twitter and Instagram accounts and I’ve really enjoyed being a part of the blogging community. I definitely want to continue that this year. There are some truly inspiring bloggers out there!
My main blogging goal is to improve my writing skills. I suffer quite badly from low self-confidence which invariably leads to writer’s block. I have lots of ideas for posts but when I come to write them my drafts are all filled with notes that say [WORDS!] or [WRITE SOMETHING HERE!]. There’s a disconnect between my brain and my keyboard. All too often I wind up trashing a post because I’ve convinced myself that it’s rubbish. I’d love to take a creative writing course but there aren’t any local to me so instead I’ve bought a book and I’m looking forward to putting all of the theory into practice.
The way I run my blog is one thing that isn’t going to change. I’m sticking with my ‘ad free blog’ status and I won’t be joining any of the blog ranking networks. They’re great for building up your readership and I’ve found some great blogs through the Tots100 list but I really don’t need the added pressure of writing to a deadline for brands or worrying about rankings. To be honest I’m very happy with, and thankful for, my small band of readers.
So Happy New Year to you all! I have a feeling 2015 is going to be a good one.
11 comments
Lovely! Good on you for staying away from ads etc. To be honest I may as well remove mine as I get nothing from them! It was just something I added as everyone else did. I hope you have a fab year! x
Many moons ago I was the webmaster/designer of a website that had a lot of advertising and the ads were far more trouble than the revenue was worth. This was in the days before Amazon Associates and the links between PRs and bloggers though, which in some ways has made using ads much easier if you persevere.
I saw that your blog was ad free and thought I would like to go that way, I don’t think my blog will ever be big enough to make money from ads! I will have a look at that book, I ‘write’ posts in my head which then look rubbish on the blog.
Happy new year xx
That’s exactly how I am. I know what I want to write but my fingers can’t interpret it. I’m still on chapter one of the book but so far it’s an interesting read.
Happy New Year! Vx
such a lovely idea. I will definatly be doing something like this when i start to hace children. It128#&7;s such a lovely way for you both to look back on moments in each others lives!X
Good for you!
The best writing tip I heard was to think about when you’re writing. I know I write better in the morning but the words run and hide at night and what was an idea turns out to be a paragraph. It isn’t always possible to change it completely but if you know your best writing time you can try to think about your idea then or scribble the opening sentence to kick start you later
That’s a really good tip. My golden writing hour is between 10 and 11am. I’ll have had my first coffee of the day, which kick starts my brain and the words will flow. 🙂
I love your blog exactly how it is, so I’m pleased you’re continuing to be ad-free. I really like your writing style, but it’s sad you draft posts we never get to read, so I really hope your new book helps you. Looking forward to reading lots of your posts in 2015!! Jess x
Thanks Jess! I’m determined to be braver and stop binning my hard work. 🙂
I don’t want ads over my blog either (it’s my site, damn it!) so unless I’m getting paid enough to earn a good income and I can choose who advertises then there won’t be ads on my blog!!
I think you write beautifully and I can’t wait to read more of your posts this year. Be brave. Just write things for you if you have to. Build up confidence in your ability to write. You will surprise yourself. 🙂
Jenna at Tinyfootsteps xx
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