blogging tips

#1 The Power Of A First And Last Sentence

Your first sentence and your last sentence are generally your most meaningful moments in your post. The first sentence identifies a topic and usually pulls your reader in. Striking interest from the get-go is a great way to ensure your readers are hooked in. Take that opportunity to make a statement and be bold.
For example, “We spent Sunday at the zoo since it was such a beautiful day.” versus “I took my kids to the zoo this weekend and I thought about leaving half of them there.” See how the second sentence makes you want to read more? That’s what we’re going for!
Your last sentence will give your readers closure. Like a good book, you want them feeling glad they took the time to finish reading your post. If they leave your blog feeling satisfied then chances are, they’ll come back.

#2 Create Interest

Interest is in the details…look for them. Think about what you’re writing about: does it have a smell, a feeling, a memory attached to it? Words on a page are just words on a page unless you can find a way to breathe some life into them. Get people to relate to them. Make yourself vulnerable. All of this makes for good reading.

#3 Get To The Point

You don’t want to spend too much time prepping your story with a drawn out introduction. Sometimes a brief back story is necessary, but we tend to spend too much time working our way to the main point. Always re-read your post and cut out excess information (ie rambling sentences, off topic remarks, too much detail, etc).

#4 Keep It Concise

It is up to you to determine how long you’d like your post to be but a good rule of thumb is to not write more than you prefer to read when you visit other blogs. If you have a long story to tell, consider breaking it into parts and encourage readers to come back the following day for the resolution.

Veg Gardening by John Carey (1980)

As with most pursuits, one of the leading pleasures of veg gardening is that it makes you feel superior to those who don't pursue it.  The degeneracy of the pampered masses, propped half-conscious before their telly screens, becomes, as you toil on your lonely plot, a profoundly satisfying subject of meditation.

Coming to terms with who you are

In the blog intro, I asked the question “Who are you?”. Now is the time to evaluate yourself. Who are you? Who do people think you are? & finally, who do you want to be? For most teens, you’ll receive different answers for each question, which is OK! I believe a huge issue for teens is ACCEPTANCE. If everyone accepted themselves, less teens or all people at that, wouldn't resort to drugs, alcohol, self injury or certain behaviors used to cope. Acceptance isn't necessarily loving yourself, but COMING To Terms With YOURSELF & your situation. A person who accepts others would say something along the lines of "I don't like that you use substances or do harmful actions, I don't approve of it & don't accept it but I accept YOU". A person who accepts themselves would say something like the following, "I really don't like the things I do or how I cope sometimes but it's ok, I will not judge or reject myself, I accept myself for who I really am, not what I choose to do". Anyone who suffers from any of the obstacles listed should recognize that accepting themselves for who they truly are, not what others think is the first step to recovery. Being aware of who you are & coming to terms with your issues, it isn't the easiest thing to do but it's the most powerful. Once one gets the hang of acceptance, they'll begin to understand the true

Life Quote - Diane von Furstenberg

Book List

Etta and Otto and Russell and James
- Emma Hooper

Weathering
- Lucy Wood

All the Light we cannot see
- Anthony Doerr

September Quote - Susan Hill

From the book Howards End is on the Landing

Now, on a golden day in late September, I took two books out to a deckchair in the garden.  The first apples were thumping down.  The last swallows were dipping and soaring, dipping and soaring over the pond.  A dragonfly hovered, its electric-blue back catching the sunlight.  There had been an early mist and cobwebs draped over the long grass like parasols caught and held on their four corners.  The air smelled of damp earth.

Anne Lamott Quote

Oh my God, what if you wake up some day, and you’re 65, or 75, and you never got your memoir or novel written; or you didn’t go swimming in warm pools and oceans all those years because your thighs were jiggly and you had a nice big comfortable tummy; or you were just so strung out on perfectionism and people-pleasing that you forgot to have a big juicy creative life, of imagination and radical silliness and staring off into space like when you were a kid? It’s going to break your heart. Don’t let this happen. Repent just means to change direction — and NOT to be said by someone who is waggling their forefinger at you. Repentance is a blessing. Pick a new direction, one you wouldn’t mind ending up at, and aim for that. Shoot the moon.