Hello, sweet friends!
This post originated as something I wrote for The Blended Blog, here, but then I decided to change it up for a post here at home. During the month of January, I have participated in a challenge designed to create a blogging community where participants could “grow” their blogs.
It was hosted by Susannah at Simple Moments Stick who paired challengers with a seemingly-similar blogger with whom we would complete four challenge assignments.
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I was paired with C.M. Hazel, who blogs at Live Over the Moon.
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C.M. Hazel is an aspiring author and working mother of several grown children. While she is quite a bit younger than I, we did seem to “click”…especially upon discovering our mutual dream of realizing a career in writing.
Among C.M.’s goals is growing her blog and the business she is working to develop from her blog, building a rapport with other writers/bloggers, increasing readership, and improving her blog brand and product offerings. Please stop by her blog to read more here.
Although, it is already a month into 2016, I hadn’t finalized my new year’s resolutions/goals. This challenge caused me to reflect on where I want this blog to go and here’s what I came up with.
- better identify and develop my blogging niche and vision;
- find ways to manage my time better, and to set aside routinely scheduled blocks of time for blogging;
- establish several series that I schedule for certain days of the week or month, and be sure to follow through with my schedule so that readers can count on certain topics being posted regularly;
- continue to connect with other bloggers and develop a broader network for link-ups and blog hops.
Both C.M. and I suffer from fear of failure when it comes to writing (and for me, fear of failure in other aspects of my life, as well). That is something that blogging is helping me to get a handle on. My new blogger bud wrote a very thoughtful post on just that, entitled “Writing Anxiety and How to Overcome It”, which you can read here. I need to commit her suggestions to memory.
Being hopeful writers, C.M. and I talked a little about our own favorite authors. Here’s what C.M. shared with me about her fav.
One of my favorite writers is Jane Austen.
I believe her to be one of the foremothers (not a word but it should be!) of women writers. I’d ask her how she found courage to write, being from her time, in a mostly man-dominated career. How she was able to capture life in such a sublime way, with such sincerity and wit, weaving in all the aspects of society – the ins and outs of romanticism, family life, etc.- that depict how people interacted in that period. What it was that she wanted to reflect in her writing and if she felt she succeeded. I’d also ask her about her views on how she would compare her time with ours and in which ways she would say we’re similar or different, especially where women are concerned. Lastly, I’d ask her for her perspective on how to empower women writers or what she would tell them if she could.
Isn’t that great stuff?
I would love to hear what Jane Austen would say about empowering women writers, myself.
And here’s what I wrote about my favorite author.
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Hmm, when asked about my favorite author, the answer varies, depending on whose book I am reading at the time. I think one of my all-time favorites was the accidental author Anne Frank. She wrote journal entries that were never intended to be shared or read by others. She did so in such an authentic voice that she can truly be identified as an author. I would love to speak with Anne, to ask her questions about her life before the Holocaust, about the things she missed and cherished most during her time in hiding. And I would hug her for the difficulties and horrible days she endured, and for the lessons of optimism and strength she has shared with all of us.
So what did I take away from the Solidarity Sisters challenge?
A new blogger friendship.
A lesson on overcoming my fear of failure.
Some great brainstorming sessions that led to my formulating blog goals for the year.
A new blogger friendship. Did I say that already? Worth saying again.
And a rekindled desire to write.
I would like to be an author one day and have begun blogging as a hopeful stepping stone to that end. I have been a journal writer and keeper, and at times, a letter writer, too. But I am fearful of failure; of announcing that I am going to write and then never really writing anything that matters. Perhaps I need to follow Anne’s good lead and just write from my heart. And someday maybe something I have written will find its way into a book.
Hugs and kisses,
Elements of Ellis
I love this! Supporting one another is always great!
http://elementsofellis.com/
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you. I always appreciate you coming by and commenting. YOUR support means a lot. XO
Joy
Oh I love, love, love Jane Austen! Hey I am going to NC this weekend and I will pass on any good info I learn to you. We should Skype or do a google hangout soon and swap some ideas 🙂
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Yay! So glad to hear from you. Yes, please take good notes in NC. And then we will plan a Skype session! Be safe.
Jill
What a great challenge! I still need to define my blogging goals for the year. Yours are spot on! It’s always fun to connect with other bloggers and I’ll have to check out Live Over the Moon and that writing anxiety article too! Have a wonderful weekend!
Jill
Doused In Pink
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you, Jill. Not to accomplish my goals! I can make them all day long… :>)
Lana
I should have signed up for this challenge – it sounds like you got so much out of it! I suffer from writing anxiety too, and at least once a month I wonder why I’m even blogging. Hopefully someday we will both be published authors!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
I’ll drink to that! What would you want to write, Lana? Children’s book? Adult fiction? Nonfiction?
I really think by blogging and writing a lot more than I normally would, I am kinda preparing for book-writing.
Now to sit down and do it!
Cathy crandall
Hello! I’ve been meaning to respond for awhile but I’ve recently been on some extended vacations & now am finally back home. I LOVED this post!!! I’m so glad I have found your blog . All your thoughts about improving, etc. etc. I think you’re already doing a great job with your writing. I appreciate your humor and honesty in what you write and it makes me look forward to your next posts. I too have wanted to be a writer for quite some time and I have a book idea in my head that I think I really need to get going on. You’re such an inspiration to me + you crack me up with so many of the topics you cover. Please keep up the excellent work! It’s like Anne of Green Gables; I feel a kindred spirit to you on so many counts even though we’ve never met! Talk to you soon, Bye, Cathy C.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
HEY YOU!!! So glad to hear from you, Cathy. And your message just melted my heart. You are sooooo sweet!
So glad you are out there reading and following along with my craziness. I am hoping that the writing
I am doing on the blog is going to inspire me to sit down very soon and finish up one of the story ideas I have
fiddled around with for years. You need to do the same, my friend. Is your book idea for adult fiction, nonfiction,
or maybe a children’s book? Do you journal? I always have but have kind of fallen off the last couple of years.
I am going to hunt up my journal tonight! If you ever want to guest post with me, just let me know. We
could talk about scrapbooking!!! Thank you so much, dear friend, for this message and for being my friend. XO
Susannah
I’m so glad you clicked with her! Thanks for participating in the Solidarity Sisters! <3<3<3
Leslie Roberts Clingan
My pleasure! Enjoyed meeting you and my new friend, C.M.