This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
by Anna Bell
Last year I wrote about author platforms and how I wanted to expand mine with a new blog. I’ve finally launched a new blog on my website, but I’m worried that once the novelty wears off I’ll forget about it and neglect it. It got me wondering, just how many blogs litter the internet, which belong to bloggers with good intentions that fizzled out after a few posts?
I’ve got two blogs that are collecting virtual dust on the internet; one where I ranted about being a sports widow and another where I blogged about what I’d learned that week. Both have about four or five posts on them. They were blogs filled good intentions, but when push came to shove, I didn’t have the time or the momentum to keep them going. So is this time going to be any different?
I’ve been thinking a lot about the types of blogs I like to read. Most, unsurprisingly, are book related, but I read quite a lot of mum/baby related ones too. I’m always a little bit in awe that people actually sustain blogs and don’t get bored after a few posts. What seems to keep them going is a passion and a clear focus for the blog. I think for my sports widow site, the stories were too specific and didn’t necessarily lead to a regular blog. My ‘what I learned this week’ site, meanwhile, was too general for me.
I’m hoping with my life as an expat, my new blog should cover a whole host of situations and allow me to talk about all aspects of my life, with clear objectives.
When I appealed to Novelicious readers recently and asked them what I should I blog about, the overwhelming response was that I should write about my life in France. I sometimes forget that I live abroad and I often take it for granted. Yet, it isn’t until I stop and think about it, that I realise just how bizarre and frustrating a day of mine can be. Take this Saturday for instance. Whilst wrestling with my toddler in one hand and a trolley in the other, a well-meaning shopper said something to me that I couldn’t understand. Not only did it make me feel like the class dunce, but it reminded me how much I love making small talk with people – something I can’t do out here unless it’s with other expats, thanks to my crappy French skills. Then, after arriving home from the supermarket, our village maintenance man popped round and informed me he was pulling down a tree that bordered our land. The next thing I know, I’m watching as he drives a tractor across the little bit of land opposite our house and pulls down a whopping great tree. ‘There you go, some firewood for next year,’ he said, grinning. Not the kind of thing that happened to us when we lived in our house in Portsmouth … In short, everything is different. The food, the language, raising a baby out here. I’m hoping that that variety will keep me interested in the blog.
So I’ve taken the plunge, and my first blog post is about, well taking the plunge – the one where I tell everyone about our initial move. If you want to read it (bites nails) it’s here. I’m just hoping that it doesn’t end up on the scrapheap of neglected blogs.
Am I the only one that leaves a graveyard of blogs on the net, or have you started but stopped blogs?