You know how some people can pick up a hobby for a couple of days and already be considered experts? Like they can tell you all about the history and have a wide range of obscure facts to share. They can help you improve your technique or give you useful hints. Then there are others who can do the same hobby for over a year and still get confused by the basics. I’m just throwing this out there….no reason….
Life is essentially one long beautiful learning experience. Some lucky few soak up all that knowledge and become better for it. The most fun though never learn! The trick is to know when to do which. Although my time in the blogging world may not have taught me much about SEO or… spelling…I still managed to pick up a few lessons that serve me well on a daily basis. Let me share 5 of my favorites.
In order in which they came to my mind:
5. Be pretty for yourself
A pretty blog or post is a great thing to have. However fretting over your layout everytime is very demanding and time consuming. And no one is ever really going to care. Most readers see your posts in apps that get rid of most of that layout anyways.
And it’s the same in real life. Those fake eyelashes you take (20 minutes ? 3 hours? I have no clue but it looks complicated) to apply are nice but I also might not have noticed them. But if you notice them and they make you feel gorgeous then it’s well worth. I am going to notice your confidence and good mood and love it.
So put all the time and effort you want in your appearance just make sure you’re doing it for yourself. Otherwise it’s pretty useless.
4. Plan ahead
If you’re going to post consistently you’ll need to figure out what you want to write about ahead of time. Make sure not to let those ideas slip away either. Write down post subjects or points as they come too you even if you can only draft the post at a later date. Or at least make sure you watch the show you want to post on.
And do that for anything you want to accomplish! Make a rough outline in your head of what the end result should be and how you want to get there. It will keep you on track. It doesn’t have to be super detailed or anything.
3. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar
Reading comments is a special experience. It’s tiny slivers of conversations that start in the middle. Sometimes they have nothing to do with the post. Sometimes they seem super aggressive or defensive (or both). Often I have no idea why. I’ve learned that the best way to navigate this disjointed conversation is to stop trying to read between the lines or infer context and take things at face value.
And I should do that more in general. The sarcastic slightly snide teenager I was still hides somewhere deep in me. I find myself trying to figure out what someone ment by that instead of just listening to them. It’s a really nasty habit. I am slowly getting over it though. Wish me luck!
2. Trying matters
Writing posts is Hazzard you guys!!! I meant hard… well haaaaaard… Silly autocorrect, somewhat proving my point like that… Aside from the simple fact that writing is a skill not innate to all, regular posting has all sorts of challenges. And even if you’re above the petty concerns of mere mortals, there’s something deeply demoralizing about putting time, effort and energy into a post and having it fail to live up to your subjective standards of success. With time, I’ve started to get a general idea of which posts are likely to get the most attention and which will be ignored. And sometimes, a post just won’t come together like I want it to. I can tell it’s sloppy and disjointed but I just can’t seem to fix it.
However, once in a while those little battered posts that barely made it and I think no one will read, get really popular. They spark something. Or at least they get a couple of really encouraging and heartfelt comments that make it all worthwhile.
This is when I’m reminded that people still appreciate effort. Even if the post isn’t perfect (or objectively good) if I had something to say and honestly tried to do so, people will respond to that. People are willing to give you a chance if you give it your all. Isn’t that amazing! Of course we all want to succeed at everything we do, but even when we fail, trying in earnest is usually rewarding in its own way.
1. Edit
I really should learn how to edit my posts. I think this one is a good example…. And editing is just a skill that can and needs to be applied to everything. You know that old fashion saying, before you leave the house take a look in the mirror and remove one accessory (this person obviously does not watch anime) that’s a real life edit.
I have started to take the time to revisit, tweak an change things to try and make them better. I play with the spices more when cooking. I change up my workout routines. I adapt my sleep schedule. I *try* to take a breath before speaking and chose my words to actually and clearly get my point across instead of just blurting out the first thing that comes to mind in a mix of 4 different languages. it’s a work in progress.
The point is, if you think something could be better, why not try to make it better! It’s fun.
How about all of you who also have blos. Have you picked up anything you can use in your daily life? what is it? Can I know?
It’s funny how you mention that now—after two years of failing to do so, I am finally back to making lists!
I am enjoying the rise of akuto posts . Keep it up!
Thank you Irina ;__:
I think I had a bit of a conversation with Jenn (Welcome to Hell Zone’s owner) regarding this once, but blogging presents you with situations in which you have to deal with people you’re not familiar with. So…it’s kind of like retail, only seeing the face and hearing the voice of the person you’re dealing with is optional.
Aria, I almost didn’t recognize you!
To be honest, I’d been thinking of switching out my avatar for something else and didn’t have anything I was happy to switch it out for until yesterday…but I did have the fractal as an icon for a year or so, so it’s kind of awkward for me as well…
Editing is so hard for even us pure English speakers. Missing typos is easy.
Beyond proofreading though, moving some things around can completely change the flow of a post and how your readers take in the information
Editing is easy if you set yourself a word limit. 😉 Personally, I set 1000 words for a review but feel a bit uncomfortable if I go beyond 996…. :-\
I dunno – I still think editing is magic
#RelatableAF. This post definitely resounded with me Irina, especially when it comes to proof-reading posts and creating posts on a consistent schedule. I should make the effort to make more rough drafts or more detailed outlines and fix it up accordingly. DX
Not as much as I should!
I relate to this so much! Blogging and Cosplaying have taught me so much. Especially sometime that I’m still trying to this day, grasp. Perfection does not exist. You have to be happy with the end product. No matter what anyone else thinks. Also another thing, quality, not quantity. But it’s amazing what te things you do in life that you love can teach ya.
I haven’t quite gotten the quality one yet…
I’ve learned that certain conversations are just difficult to have; there exists too great a chasm between the understanding or life experiences of the participants, no matter how much they might respect one another. For example, while I sometimes refer to my role as a police officer to bolster a point I’m making, I long ago stopped responding to other people’s posts about law enforcement situations; likewise military. It’s just too difficult to address these functions to a civilian mindset. And when I occasionally get too comfortable and forget this, I am instantly reminded. It’s just that certain specialized functions within a society require specific mindsets and attitudes for their performance, mindsets and attitudes with which you should not always expect a majority to empathize (or even comprehend). Society creates the functions it needs; it is our responsibility to our society and ourselves to fulfill those functions as we are fit.
To each according to their capacities and skills, for each according to their needs.
I get it. I skirt away on issues of communism or discussing gender discrimination. I’ve lived in countries with legal repercussions for disagreeing with men in public. It’s shaped my perception and sensibilities.
That’s terrible, but certainly I understand how it would stay with you. Be well and stay warm!
“there exists too great a chasm between the understanding or life experiences of the participants, no matter how much they might respect one another.”
Ain’t that the truth?
Yet, there’s merit in the attempt.
I say after having spent a lifetime and consistently _not quite_ getting it right…
No worries! The merit really is in the attempt. People honestly shouldn’t expect to agree, but should always strive towards civil discourse and mutual understanding. Respect is more important than agreement.
I love numbers 5 and 2!
You have to feel good about yourself to some extent if you want to get up and do work for the day, and that standard is entirely up to you. I’m fine with looking like a mess if I feel healthy and have a plan to get work done.
And I agree that putting effort into your work is kind of like a blind leap of faith. If you’re able to put the effort into something that you don’t anticipate a reward for, that effort will show and resonate with your readers, I believe.
It depends on what your blos is aiming for. Inthecubbyhole is a really weird/annoying one. The posts that aren’t generally a staple or are one offs tend to get more attention. Whilst the staples are kind of err. So I couldn’t get a decent feel for it. My new one, I’m writing for the fun or things that interest me. Good post Irina 😁
Oh and I’ve learnt to be just a tad expressive. I have a habit of being neutral.
Neutral isn’t bad – then again neither is expressive! I’m not much help here
Don’t worry about it, it’s a fine balancing act xDD
Thank you!
Obvioucly these are lessons I’ve gotten for my own blog which so far aims to be *mostly in English*…
You’re welcome Irina :D. I’m just curious, you said speak 4 languages. I’m assuming French is one of them, one of them I got a strong gut feeling what one them might be, but could be wide off the mark.
surprisingly one of the IS English despite strong proof to the contrary. My given name s Irina witch should give you a strong clue about the rest.
Got me to do abit of homework now xDD. Well looking up your given name – it means peace. It’s origins are Greek and derives from Erini or Erine, who is a greek goddess. Although I’d assume it’s quite a prominent Russian name. As it seems, to be quite popular there.
As for the language I was thinking, it was Italian. But that seems waaay off way the mark.
Other than that, well I’m stumped. Some detective I make XDD.
Russian is correct good sir, the other one is Bulgarian. Which I guess you could call a mix of Russian and Greek although you would be wrong…