Hello everyone!
Here I am at my very first blogging experience and I'll be honest, it's a little intimidating. As an unpublished author I kept telling
myself that it isn't necessary to have a blog. After all, I don't have any readers to connect with. Who's going to read a blog from an unknown writer? What could I possibly have to say to those lucky people who even bother to find my blog? Well, that my friends, about sums up exactly how inexperienced I really am.
Here I am at my very first blogging experience and I'll be honest, it's a little intimidating. As an unpublished author I kept telling
myself that it isn't necessary to have a blog. After all, I don't have any readers to connect with. Who's going to read a blog from an unknown writer? What could I possibly have to say to those lucky people who even bother to find my blog? Well, that my friends, about sums up exactly how inexperienced I really am.Sure, I don't have any readers - yet, but there are thousands of people out there I can connect with right now. The more connections I make now, the more potential readers I will have when I'm finally published. How exciting to have people start routing for me right now!
And it's absurd to think that I have nothing to blog about. I'm a writer for crying out loud! I have completed 3 full length manuscripts, several short stories, and I have dozens of ideas floating around in my head for many more. If I can finish a full length manuscript and I have ideas waiting to come to life on paper, of course I can write a one page blog. What a silly notion that I can't.
And it's absurd to think that I have nothing to blog about. I'm a writer for crying out loud! I have completed 3 full length manuscripts, several short stories, and I have dozens of ideas floating around in my head for many more. If I can finish a full length manuscript and I have ideas waiting to come to life on paper, of course I can write a one page blog. What a silly notion that I can't.
So here I am, with the help and this awesome opportunity from my dear friend Cindy, reaching out to the world with the hope that the world will embrace me and my efforts.
I'd love to connect with people like myself who are just starting out, trying to stay afloat in the gigantic sea of advice, information, disappointment, and madness known as writing. I'd also love to connect with experienced authors who have managed to not only stay afloat, but have built rafts and ski boats and yachts, and those super over-achievers, with cruise ships. While it all seems nearly impossible fro
m down here in the churning, cold, shark infested waters with no life preserver, I keep looking up at those big shiny cruise ships and saying, "someday soon, I'll be up there with them."
I'd love to connect with people like myself who are just starting out, trying to stay afloat in the gigantic sea of advice, information, disappointment, and madness known as writing. I'd also love to connect with experienced authors who have managed to not only stay afloat, but have built rafts and ski boats and yachts, and those super over-achievers, with cruise ships. While it all seems nearly impossible fro
m down here in the churning, cold, shark infested waters with no life preserver, I keep looking up at those big shiny cruise ships and saying, "someday soon, I'll be up there with them."Starting in November, I will be blogging each month from my website jansenschmidt.com. I'd love to have you all stop by and watch my progress and offer encouragement and advice. I'll be looking for you! And of course in the meantime, you can follow me on Twitter and Facebook.
At this time, I'd like to ask you, what is your best advice for me regarding my new blogging adventures? I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts and suggestions for not just staying afloat, but for building my own fleet of cruise ships! Bon Voyage!
At this time, I'd like to ask you, what is your best advice for me regarding my new blogging adventures? I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts and suggestions for not just staying afloat, but for building my own fleet of cruise ships! Bon Voyage!
Thank you Aunty Cindy for this wonderful opportunity to experience blogging in a safe and fun environment. I look foward to being your guest again.
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64 comments:
Hello, Jansen!! Welcome to the world of blogging--I have no doubt you'll do a great job on this new venture.
Since I've only done a handful of these myself, I don't really have any suggestions--I'm always interested in new takes on the industry, on the writing world in general--there are as many experiences as there are writers, so I think going with your gut is always the best course of action.
Looking forward to following your new blog on your site! :)
YAY you are blogging, Jansen. You've done a great job and I wish you well in this new endeavor.
I'd say on your blog be yourself and let people get to know the person you are, share your ideas and ask questions. There are so many wonderful people in blog land and you can both learn and teach.
Waving to you and our Aunt Cindy. :)
Well! That was a well-written blog post. I totally enjoyed reading it! I am in the same little boat as you, dreaming about the day I move up to ... oh, a steamship would be nice. lol. By the way...what sort of books are you writing? Maybe I should just go check out your blog site and find out! Ok, I'll do that. Thanks, and good luck to you in achieving your dreams.
As for advice from someone in the same place as you...keep doing what you are doing! Believe in yourself and in the books you write. The universe will fall in line with those beliefs and waaaalaa...cruise ship time!!
Thanks AJ/Anna for the encouragement. I hope you'll be a regular on my new kwirky blog. I'm looking forward to this new writing adventure.
Patricia
Hi Patricia--
You're a natural! You did a great job, and it's fabulous to see you in the cyberworld, getting your words out there.
Hi Paisley: Waving back.
Thanks for stopping by. I love to see my chaptermates from SVR stopping by so early on this beautiful autumn day!
I hope you'll like my new blogging sojourn. I have some silly ideas and interesting questions to pose to my followers.
I hope you'll be one of them. I know you know a lot of cyber people. I want to be just like you.
Patricia/Jansen
Hi Jansen! Good post! I feel exactly like that myself, and it's nice to know, as our mentor Kristen says, I'm not alone!
Hi Deborah. Thanks for stopping by. My blog isn't officially up yet. I'm hoping for November (with a little help from my website friends), but please stop by my website. I have some book excerpts there to read.
I write women's fiction with romance elements. You can also follow me on Twitter and Facebook for updates and silly random thoughts.
I hope you'll stop by my own blog in November. I'll be looking for you.
And you stay afloat too. I know there's a lot of us in that big sea but we can do it!
Patricia/Janesn
Thanks Brenda! Hopefully it won't be so scary next time. I'm finding there's a lot of support and my SVR chaptermates are the best. I have learned so much from them.
Thanks for stopping by. I hope to see you at my own blog very soon.
Patricia/Jansen
Hi Lecia! Thanks for stopping by.
Isn't Kristin amazing? I'm learning so much and can't wait to implement more in my own blog very soon.
I've met some really cool and talented people in this class and they have good suggestions and positive attitudes.
Hope to see you soon on my own site. I'll keep everyone posted.
Patricia/Jansen
Hi Jansen, See that wasn't so hard. I'll bet a goodly number of us can relate to those feelings of angst over the first post. Well done.
Bless, Prudence
Hi Patricia!
Congratulations on your very first blog post. I think you did a great job. I don't have any advice for you because I'm in the same boat as you. However, since we're both taking Kristen Lamb's class Blogging For Author Brand, I'm sure we will get the knowledge we need to have successful blogs.
Good job and good luck!
I think my best advice for a new blogger is to remember that it's not really about you. Everything you write needs to give something to your reader. And have fun :)
Marcy
very nicely written, I wish you luck and look forward to reading your books, looks like you have tons of talent. Good Luck
Thank you Prudence. It's with anxious anticipation I'm looking forward to blogging regularly from my own site. The content is the easy part, it's all the techy computer gobly goop that worries me.
I'm learning though.
Thanks for stopping by. I'll let everyone know when I'm up and running regularly. Hope to see you then.
Patricia/Jansen
wow blogging sounds scary, think i will stick to just reading you books when they get out, keep us all posted. Good luck
Thank you Francelia for stopping by. Yes, Kristin's class is wonderful. I'm learning so much.
I hope to see you again on other blogs and I hope you'll stop by my blog when it's ready to go - very soon I hope!
Patricia/Jansen
Hi Marcy! Thanks for your suggestions. I've got to say though, it isn't easy being me - if it was everyone would be doing it right? LOL.
I'm really kind of jazzed about this whole new adventure and Kristin's suggestions are very on point and powerful. I'm seeing blogging in a whole new way.
I look forward to seeing you on other blog sites as well.
Thanks again for your support.
Patricia/Jansen
Thank you anonymous posts! Blogging is so scary after all and thank you again to Cindy for giving me this opportunity.
As far as my books - well, I hope those will be available to read real soon as well.
Thanks for stopping by.
Patricia/Jansen
Morning Jansen/Patricia and Everyone!
(Aunty rubs sleep from her bleary eyes)
WOW! You are all up and chatting WAAAY too early for me! ;-)
Jansen -- CONGRATS! You did it! And it has been my pleasure to host you on your very first blog appearance. I hope you'll give it another go in a week or two.
AC
AJ, Paisley, and Brenda...
BIG HUGS to our SVR Chaptermates! We do belong to a wonderful RWA chapter.
To everyone from Jansen's class, see how easy it is?!?! And honestly, readers are very forgiving if you do make a formatting mistake or two. Nothing wrong with learning by trial and error! :-)
AC
Good morning Aunty Cindy! I'm so please that several folks have found there way here and offered encouragement and advice. It's awesome!
And, YES, I would love to come back and give it another go! Just name the date and time.
And, you'll most certainly be asked to be a guest on mine in the very near future.
Thanks again!
Patricia/Jansen
Hey Jansen,
The schedule is pretty open for the rest of the month!
Paisley and Marcy gave good advice: be yourself, give something to your readers, and HAVE FUN! In my experience, these are all equally important.
Looking forward to guesting on YOUR blog!
AC
Great job. The water's not too bad, right? :)
As I new blogger, I'm not full of advice. I'd say 'have fun'! Your readers will feel that and want to spend time with you.
Cheers!!
Awesome!! This is going to be great! I am not a writer, but I am an avid reader, and I LOVE FUN reading!! Just be your cute, fun and talented self!!!
well my dear you do have a avid reader right here, your husband. I am excited for you and your new blogging experience. I just wanted tell you that. Have a great day, love you.
Great job on your first blog. I'm sure you will have many followers both in the blogospere and when your books are published.
As a reader,I find if I like an author's blogs, there's a really good chance I'm going to like her books. With so many choices out there, it helps me shop for my next book fix.
Good luck to you!
Congrats on your first blog post! I guess the biggest piece of advice I have is not to worry too much. I used to think everything I blogged had to be paradigm-altering (haha) or philosophical/poetic. If you just have fun with it, I think readers will, too. Just remember, we're basically trying to start conversations with like-minded people about common interests.
Hi Ginger! You're right - the water's not too bad! Especially today. I'm feeling well-loved.
Thanks for stopping by and offering kind words of encouragement.
Hope to see you around in the blogosphere.
Patricia/Jansen
Hi Kay! So nice to see my awesome tap dance teacher and zumba instructor here!
I hope to have some books ready to read soon. In the meantime I can offer plenty of suggestions from my wonderful RWA chaptermates. I know you've already read Cindy Sample's awesome book.
Thanks for stopping by and offering your support in my career.
Patricia/Jansen
Thank you my dear husband for just being you.
I know you were more scared of posting this comment than I was of blogging and I appreciate your efforts.
I love you hunny bunny!
Patricia/Jansen
Okay, Corey, Patricia...
IXNAY on that mushy stuff! ;-)
LOL! Honestly, major hunny bunny points for Corey for showing up and commenting. Ya got a keeper there, Patricia!
AC
Hey Kristina!
Aunty waves to another wonderful chaptermate! Thanx for dropping by, and for being so supportive of me and Patricia. :-)
AC
LOL, Janelle!
I'm afraid there aren't many paradigm-shifting posts around here. But FUN we got! ;-)
Appreciate you coming by and hope you'll come back,
AC
Hi Kristina. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you'll be a regular. I'm working to build a fan base so hopefully my blogs will attract fans.
I know what you mean about usually liking the books of the authors of really good blogs. I'm hoping to be one of those soon.
And hello from another El Dorado County gal! There have been several today!
Patricia/Jansen
Hi, Jansen,
You tap dance? That's a blog post. Zumba's another. Count me as a reader of future installments. BTW, nice debut.
Thanks Jannelle. That is very good advice. If I can't be myself there's a problem right?. Tee Hee.
I was worried about all the techy stuff involved, but it was pretty easy actually. And Aunty Cindy was very patient with me and helped a lot when I had questions. She even made me add graphics. That was scary!
I can't want to get my own blog up and running. I hope you'll be a regular.
Patricia/Jansen
Thank you Pat! Yes, I am a tap dancer and not a bad one at that if I might say so myself! Singer, dancer, actor. You can bet there's some performing arts blogs coming down the pipe. Stay tuned!
Thanks for your support. I hope to see you regularly at my own blog.
Patricia/Jansen
Hi Jansen ... what a wonderful start to future blogs. I'll enjoy watching your journey and hope you have lots of fun on the way. :)
All the best to you! And congratulations on stepping out into the big wide world of blogging.
WTG, Jansen! Look at all the comments you got on your post! That's great. My advice is to be ourself and have fun. I got a lot of good advice in my very first post (May 8, 2011) because I asked for help re blogging etiquette. It was very helpful getting other bloggers' advice or even just a welcome or an atta-girl! So, welcome, to the blogosphere. You go, girl!
Hi Sheila. Thanks for stopping by and for your words of encouragement. I'm looking forward to being more active in cyberspace.
I'll look for you around on other blog spots and especially on mine very soon.
Patricia/Jansen
Hi Lyn! Thanks for the atta girl! I appreciate it. I hope your new blogging adventures go smoothly. Good advice is always handy especially for newbies like me.
Please stay in touch and look for me to be more active on other blog sites as well.
Patricia/Jansen
Welcome to the wonderful world of blogging. :) If you make it fun--write about what you enjoy writing and reading, and consider ways to give to your readers, you'll do wonderfully.
Also, visit others' blogs and post thoughtful comments where you see fit.
You're already on the right track by taking Kristen Lamb's class. Best of luck! :)
Thank you August. I'm loving Kristin's class and learning a lot. I'm hoping to become more active in the blog circuit so look for me around.
And I hope to see you as a regular at my blog in a couple of weeks. (God willing and the creeks don't rise.)
Thanks for stopping by.
Patricia/Jansen
I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one intimidated by the idea of blogging. It's nice to hear an honest, open introduction.
Thank you Emma! It was scary at first but Aunty Cindy made it so easy and she was so encouraging. When my blog is up and running, hopefully soon, I'll invite you to be a guest if you want to get your feet wet. It'll be like the double blind side in print, but we'll muddle through.
Kristin's on-line class has been very helpful in this launch experiment. Gave me extra courage. I'm looking forward to having a regular post and I hope you'll be a loyal follower. I'll try to keep it real.
Thanks for stopping by and posting a comment. If you can post a comment, you can blog. So get to it!
Patricia/Jansen
Hi Jansen,
This is a great post.
I started my own blog last year, and I can safely say... uh... I still have no idea what I'm doing.
So my advice--and given that my experience and knowledge are both limited, you might want to take everything I say with a grain of salt--is that you have fun with it and let the blog reflect who you are. Let it reflect your interests, and make a connection with your readers. Don't try to fit every blog into some perfect mold. No one is consistently funny, or always has some wise words to impart. Not everything you post will be a philosophical flash of brilliance. Every blog is different, just like every blogger is different, and that's what makes this whole thing fun!
Good luck!
Meggan
Thanks Meggan. That seems to be the general consensus. I've had a great time blogging today and am looking forward to having a regular cyber presence.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts.
Patricia/Jansen
Did you get butterflies in your stomach like right before a performance? I sort of felt that way. It gets easier. You did great! My blog will be shifting focus as a result of this last lesson, so we can hold hands and help each other’s confidence with the next blog launch. LOL Be sure to post to the loop and twitter when your blog is active so we can all check in with you there!
Kudos on your first post, Jansen. You did a great job. I took a look at your site. It's lovely.
Hi Debra! I don't get butterflies every time I perform on stage, but I definitely had them this week before my first blogging experience. It's been wonderful though and I am so pleased to see so much support from folks I know as well as cyber friends I've only just met. It's really confidence building.
I will definitely keep the information flowing whenever I'm blogging and I'll look for you on other sites as well. This is a great way to get advices and little tidbits from others. Kristin's class has been a wonderful confidence builder. It's nice to learn from others' mistakes as well.
Best of luck to you and thanks for stopping by.
Patricia/Jansen
Hi Keli! Thanks for stopping by. It is so nice to see all the love and support from my RWA chaptermates.
And thanks for visiting my website. I'm working on having my blog ready to launch real soon so I hope you'll stop by and say hello.
See you next Saturday.
Patricia/Jansen
Writing a blog is so intimidating. Thanks for leading the way!
Hi Fabio. Now that I've done it, it's not so bad. Just jump in with both feet and paddle like crazy. You'll eventually get somewhere.
Thanks for stopping by. I hope you'll stop by my own blog soon.
Patricia/Jansen
Congratulations on your first guest blogging gig, Patricia! While I am a many, many times published writer, I am a novice to blogging, so I can empathize with you on this one. I look forward to following your blog and your career!
Thank you Carol. Now that I'm over this first hurdle I think I can run a little faster.
Thanks for your encouragement and support. I'll look for you on my blog.
Patricia/Jansen
Wonderful post, Patricia!
Many of us are in the same place on this journey to publication. When you let the universe know what you want by taking action (blogging, querying, etc.), the universe will rise to support you. Watch, you'll have followers in no time. Don't forget to keep writing/revising your book, which must always remain your first priority.
Hi from WANA class! Congrats on your new blog and first post--great job :)
And the comments just keep coming!
Thank you Isis and Coleen for stopping by. Jansen/Patricia had a FANTASTIC turn out and I am thrilled for her!
Come back soon and visit yer olde Aunty. ;-) It can get lonely out here in the blog-o-sphere!
AC
Hi Isis and thanks for stopping by. You can be sure the old fingers are busy putting words on the page and editing. This blogging experience has actually energized me to be more productive.
I appreciate your support.
Patricia/Jansen
Hi Colleen. Thanks for posting a comment. Folks in this class are sure supportive.
I hope to see you around on other blog sites.
Patricia/Jansen
Good morning Aunty Cindy. This debut has exceeded my expectations! Thank you so much. I hope some folks will stop by for your regular blog too. It's always fun to hear about your travels and writing adventures.
Almost done with your new novella too and am enjoying it a lot.
Thanks again for everything.
Patricia/Jansen
Sorry Patricia/Jansen. I've been on the go from sunup to way past sundown the last two days but what a great first post. We're all so thrilled for you and I can't wait to start following you on your website.
You're a natural as a blogger and evidently as a dancer and I'm sure Kay would agree. Congratulations. I'll bet you've been smiling all weekend!
Thank you Cindy for your kind words. And how awesome to see another SVR chaptermate and El Dorado County gal!
I'll be looking forward to seeing you on my blog very soon.
Patricia/Jansen
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