Bloggers are AMAZING

Hello everyone! Happy Wednesday once again!

I have a quick update about my writing for this month. So in March I wrote the first book in an NA paranormal fiction series. I wrote it in like fifteen days or something like that. A record amount of time for me. I revised it a little and then took a big break because I was feeling stuck on the revisions. I didn't know what else to do with it and where to go with it, until last week, when the plot clicked and I figured out what I needed to do to revise and edit it. Anyways, so I got draft 4 done and am now in the process of printing it out little by little and editing it by hand. I hope to do 3 chapters a day and have the hand-edits done by the end of May. By the end of June I want to have it ready for either betas or maybe an editor and I am going to be working super hard to have it ready to be published by August or September. It makes me a little anxious thinking that far ahead, but if I want to have a planned out, solid book launch I sort of do have to think ahead a little bit.

But anyways! This post is not all about The Lost Ones. I want this post to be a giant thank you to the blogsphere. I started blogging in 2014 when I was just a little sixteen year old about to graduate homeschool high school and start college in the Fall. I had no idea what I was doing other than I had this burning desire to start a blog. I didn't know what to write or how to write a blog post... But I didn't care. I just jumped right in (like I do with most things). This blog was originally called Melody's Musings and had a very, very different look and vibe to it. Most of my posts were Bible verses and some poorly written out book reviews. I didn't know anything about the blogging community or how to grow my audience or make friends on here. And honestly, it went like that for five years! My blog changed and became Down the Rabbit Hole. I started writing more writerly posts and better book reviews and all that good stuff. But for the most part, my blog remained pretty stagnant and unnoticed.

Until this year. I was getting really frustrated with my small amount of page views and the fact that my traffic sources were not clean, so I asked on the Go Teen Writers Facebook group (my favorite writers group with some of the best, most encouraging people!) if anyone had any ideas about growing my blog audience and cleaning up my traffic sources. I think it was Keturah Lamb (sorry, my memory is so bad but I'm almost positive it was Keturah) who commented and suggested I reach out to other blogs. Like get more involved in the blogging community. Follow blogs and comment. In other words, try to branch out and make friends and build an actual community (why didn't I think of that??). It was the best advice I could have gotten! My blog is still small, but now I have eight people following me and that feels huge to me. Plus, the blogging community is the literal best! You all are so encouraging and sweet and wonderful. I love reading all your posts and talking with you guys and getting to know you. The past few months have been so fun and I'm loving it so much. I'm trying to find more blogs to follow cuz I just want to meet more of you amazing people.

I had no idea about the blogging community until I went in search of it and then have been completely blown away by your comments and support and kindness. The last few months have honestly been amazing and not just on here either. I realized that if you branch out and talk to people online and engage people will do the same to you and slowly but surely you start to build a community and make friends and in the process create an audience.

So I just want to say thank you to everyone who's been so welcoming and encouraging to me. Thanks to everyone who comments and reads my posts. It means the world to me and I'm not just saying that. I mean it. It makes my day and makes me so unbelievably happy when I see someone's commented on my post and I get to respond back to them. And I have such a blast reading your blogs too and getting to know you guys. It's been the best!

And for all of you starting a blog or have had a blog that's been stagnant for so long, here's some advice. Stalk other blogs. Comment, make friends, create community. Bloggers support bloggers. So if you want your blog to be read and enjoyed and to attract the right audience, go in search of blogs similar to yours and see what they're doing and get to know the writers of these blogs. :)

Because this post is all about loving the blogging community here are just a few blogs that I love following and reading every week:


Ink Blots and Coffee Stains

Keturah's Korner

Saver of Memories

Wanderer's Pen

Inkwell

Pen of a Ready Writer

Blogging has been an amazing experience and outlet for me over the years and I've loved watching my blog grow and change. I look forward to many more years of changes and growing and find even more blogs to follow and making more friends in the blogging community. :)

What are some of your favorite blogs?