I was invited by a sweet friend to take a “tour through blogland,” so, since I love to travel I quickly said, “yes, of course, I will!” I promise this will not be a “three hour tour,” but you just might meet the professor, Mary Anne, or Mrs. Howell along the way. So, “just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale…”
Emily is a fellow blogger who visited our Southern Bloggers Jubilee conference recently and ta-da! We were instant friends. Check her gorgeous site out at The French Hutch where you’ll see her love for travel, gardening, cooking and lots of other so-much-fun stuff.
Emily, is the lovely lady on the right, and you can read about Sarah, the pretty lady on the left by touring through her blog at Hyacinths for the Soul.
Also participating in this tour are Leslie Anne from Fairhope Supply Co. and Ellen from Scribbler Unfocused; two beautiful women who have creativity spilling onto everything in their lives.
Now on to the tour. My bags are packed and I’m ready to set sail with 4 questions:
1. What are you working on right now?
Fun. I am working on fun. There I said it! Blogging is one of the most fun things I’ve attempted in my life and I work on it just about every day. I love writing. I’m beginning to love photography and I am romantically involved with the creative process. I’ve worked most of my life trying to improve my organizational skills and time management, only to discover in my mid 50’s that creative types aren’t always the best at organizing or time management. So, now I’m embracing what I love and trying to keep my life and blog happy at the same time. Very little management involved.
2. How does your work differ from others in this genre?
My blog focuses on the empty nest and how to keep your life fun and adventurous after the chickies have flown the coop. I’m southern to the core and find that southerners have a different way of storytelling, so I’m constantly on the lookout for great tales with a southern drawl. It saddens me that the art of storytelling may be dying due to electronic media, so I strive to merge the two. The result? A big bang… (At least in my world anyway.)
3. Why do you write and create what you do?
First and foremost, because I love it. Secondly, I’ve never been a stick-to-it kind of girl – always flitting from one project to another and never finishing one before starting another. Blogging is perfect for this syndrome. I can flit and flutter from one topic to another and feel a sense of accomplishment at the same time. I had someone say to me once, that they “didn’t know what they’d do if the only thing they had to read was blogs.” At first, I was insulted. Then I realized they were all business with little-to-no creative spark. This is why I write and create, for the pure joy it brings me – with a prayer that it does the same for someone who may want/need a bit of creativity in their life.
4. How does your writing process actually work?
What? There’s a process? Nobody told me.
It’s funny, at most of our Southern Bloggers Jubilee meetings, I will bring up the topic of time management and how to be more organized with topics, scheduling, photography – you name it, knowing that I’m just gonna flutter right home and flit through another day.
Seriously, ideas come to mind all the time and are added to Evernote (a note taking app). I go through my notes periodically and choose something relative to the season. I have a Fashion Friday series that requires my focus throughout the week, in addition to other posts that relate to the empty nest – one way or another. I choose topics that I can write passionately about, have a funny twist, or an occasional DIY for all the DIY-ers in blog land.
I try to write, add photos and edit all in one sitting. I do have a social media process that I follow every morning to increase traffic, and I read other blogs at night after Mr. Cozi is fast asleep.
Now, I’m just hopeful that you haven’t fallen fast asleep while taking this tour with me. While Blogland may not be as “primitive as can be”, please…
Join us here each week my friends,
you’re sure to get a smile,
from many stranded castaways
here on BlogLand’s Isle!