Everyone has a story to tell. Around every corner, there is a great story waiting to be discovered, explored, and retold. Each of us goes through moments, lives through experiences, and meets certain people that, inevitably, will leave a mark on us. Nothing is so pleasant and enticing, yet inspiring and poignant, as a compelling story, told well. A story has the power to shape people, history and civilization.
People saw an opportunity to share stories in a new way. Hence, the beautiful world of blogging came into being. On this online journal, you can share your thoughts, knowledge and views. Aside from writing, you can add images or create a video on a regular basis which will stay on your website in chronological order for all your visitors to see. With blogging, you can establish yourself as an authority or build a community of like-minded people to connect with.
One year ago, I started blogging. With absolutely no blogging experience, I joined Steemit in July 2017. Over the course of my life, I have embraced a number of different hobbies. However, none of them have changed my life and brought me as much gratification as blogging. There’s something truly magical in life that happens when you find your true passion; and I feel very grateful that I’ve found mine in this online community.
As I commemorate my first anniversary, I am so thrilled to share my experiences as a blogger and the wonderful journey I have been through. Below are a few highlights from my first year of blogging and what I’ve learned along the way.
1. Blogging is not as easy as it looks.
Little did I know, when I started my journey, how difficult it was going to be and how much time I would end up spending online. A lot of time, energy, and initiative goes into blogging. It’s easy to think that the only thing you need to do is write some blog posts. Writing a single post requires patience, curiosity, hard work, and motivation; and writers go through a range of problems, doubts and emotions while doing it. Blogging is very time-consuming. Depending on the topic, it takes me long hours or even multiple days to give you my best work. Regardless of how long it takes, I always make sure to learn new things and develop my own God-given talent. One year has passed, yet I am still blogging and loving every minute of it!
2. Be yourself.
In a world that is constantly trying to make you something else, your authenticity and being who you are at your core leads to real fulfillment and joy. I remember being so nervous to publish my first blog post. I was scared that no one would read, and people would judge me. Eventually, my drive to write grew stronger than my fear. Being true to myself in my writing is one of the best parts of blogging. Don't be afraid to put yourself out there. You may face negativity, but so what? Let people criticize you, but you keep moving forward. Without caring what other people think, start telling your story the way it was meant to be told. Embrace all your distinctive quirks, and don’t forget that your opinion of yourself is what matters most.
3. Your writing skills will improve.
The more you write, the better you write. As you write regularly for your blog, you’ll learn how to craft effective sentences and choose perfect words. As soon as your piece is posted, readers will start adding their comments. Immediate feedback lets you know how you’re doing. You’ll know when your writing is good because you’ll get positive responses. Negative feedback, or none at all, will tip you off that your technique might need work, or that the content of your composition may be dull, trite or overdone. So, your writing improves over the time. My writing skills only started to enhance when I began to blog. This got me into the habits of writing, editing and proofreading more. To this day, I continue to ameliorate upon what I consider to be my weaknesses. The more I blog, the more I write — and the better writer I become.
4. Interact with other bloggers.
Blogging seems like a solitary job, but it’s actually not. You can't do blogging alone. It’s a community for a reason. Building a blog is more than posting outstanding photos and awesome content. Establishing positive relationships with other bloggers stirs and supports the blogging community. The internet has given way to meet plenty of interesting people from all over the world. This is the true beauty of blogging. When you work on your own, it’s hard to stay motivated. That’s why, you need cheerleaders who believe in you, inspire you, encourage you to do more, and talk you down when you’re ready to give up. If you network with other bloggers, they’ll know exactly what you’re going through. They’ll keep you moving on. I always take the time to reply back to the comments left by visitors and then go visit their blogs in return. It’s simply a great way to show appreciation for the hard work that other bloggers put into their posts. I have gained a lot of real friends by doing this! Do your best to treat everyone right and you can expect the same level of respect in return.
5. You can make money from your blog.
We all have something that stimulates us to start a blog. For a lot of people, it is the dream of making money from the comfort of their own homes. I earn a living from my blog, and so do countless other bloggers. With Steemit, you can publish blog posts, write comments underneath a blog post or upvote, and get paid for doing so. Making money from blogging is possible. However, it takes a lot of time and commitment. There will be moments in which you are alone, no one is reading your blog, and you will be thinking: “Why am I doing this? Will this ever work?” But, you just have to keep pushing. I have discovered that there are two key aspects to an effective story. First, it must capture and hold readers’ attention. The second thing a potent story does is transport us into the characters’ world. If you want to make money fast, you need to make sure that people will come to your blog. You have to be able to craft your own stories, win their hearts and minds. You need to listen to people who know exactly what they are doing better than you, they know what works and what doesn’t. Most of all, innovate. Come up with new and exciting ideas, keep working hard, and the money will follow.
It’s been a lot of work, a lot of hours and a lot of trial and error. It was an exhilarating and nerve-wracking experience at the same time. Nevertheless, I can say without a doubt that it has been absolutely worth it! Creating helpful content for readers all over the world has been a dream come true! I am deeply proud of what I have attained so far, and I’m looking forward to what my future years of blogging brings to me. I hope you have enjoyed reading my blogs as much as I have enjoyed writing them.
So, this is me saying thank you to all of you! To every single person who has taken the time to read my blogs, to everyone who has left a comment and tell me how much you appreciate and enjoyed reading my writings, to my Steemit friends who motivate me every single day, to my family for constantly reminding me of how important I am, even when I’m far away — you are the reason why I write, keep taking magnificent photos, and continue to improve my blog. Cheers to a new year coming up! 🥂