newbies – My Life as Jan

What is the Liebster Award?

The Liebster Award is a new-comer award given by bloggers to other bloggers, it creates a great platform for new blogs to be discovered and build communications. The best thing about this award is, it creates a lot of encouragement and support within our blogging community.

I had never heard of this award before, and was pleasantly surprised to be nominated by the fantastic Christina (aka justbluedutch)! I am so excited to answer some questions, and nominate 10 more individuals for this award. I also urge you all to check out Christina’s blog, which is filled with beautiful images and words about living life to the fullest. She is just wonderful. Thank you again, Christina! 🙂

Now, for those who have not heard about the award, here are the rules:

Thank your nominator.
Share the award on your blog.
Answer 10 questions asked to you.
Ask 10 questions to 10 new nominees (who have less than 300 followers).
Notify them via social media.

Here are the ten questions that the lovely Christina asked of her ten nominees, including myself, which I am more than happy to answer!

What have you learned from Blogging?
Patience. Lots of patience. I’ve dabbled in blogging off and on for years, but have had the hardest time sticking with it. In the last year, my life has changed so much, and I’m constantly surrounded by inspiration for writing. I’ve finally found my groove, and I hope I’m able to stick with it this time!
What do you love about the place where you live at the moment ?
Unfortunately, not much. This area holds a lot of bad memories for me, and I would love nothing more than to move away before something else tethers us here. The best thing, I would have to say, is that Kyle’s family is nearby.
Where is your happy place?
Deep within the pages of a good book. Or buried deep within the warmth of my covers.
How do you keep your posts original & interesting?
I don’t know that they are original OR interesting! I write about my life, and what I’ve experienced as a new mother. The most original and interesting thing would definitely have to be my dream journal. I am lucky enough to experience vivid dreams, which I am usually able to remember. It makes for fun writing!
Where do you get your inspiration to write?
My day-to-day life, as well as my brilliant baby boy.
If you had to travel to an isolated location, far from civilization, to live for 2 months without internet, name three books that you would bring with you to read.
Oh, man. I’ll be honest, since having my son (a year and 2 days ago), I haven’t picked up a single book, and I miss it! I have no idea what books are even on the shelve these days! And I’m kind of weird about rereading books… so I’d probably just sunbathe on the beach and relax!
Would you still blog if you knew nobody was going to read it?
Of course. First and foremost, I blog for me. Being able to articulate my thoughts is very therapeutic for me. If people enjoy reading about it, then that’s great!
Who is your favorite Blogger at the moment?
Too many to list!
What is your vision for your Blog for the next 3 years?
I honestly have no idea! Who knows if I’ll even be writing 3 months from now!
What is the best thing about your Blog?
Hmm… my personal favorite is my dream journal. I enjoy looking back and reading through them, laughing about how bizarre my mind is.

The following bloggers/blogs are my super awesome nominees for the Liebster Award, and I hope they are as psyched as I am!

And here are my ten questions for my ten nominees:

If you have someone in mind, who would you say has been your greatest writing influence in terms of your own writing style?
Aside from blogging, what are some of your other hobbies?
What are three books that you have read more than three times?
What is your favorite genre of music? Does the music you listen to affect your writing in any way?
Do you find writing by hand more preferable, or typing on the keyboard?
Do you consider yourself a full-time writer, or a part-time writer?
What time of day is most productive for you in terms of finding time to write?
If you were to start writing a book right now, what would it be about?
What is your favorite topic to write about?
What advice would you give to other aspiring writers?

This was so much fun! Once again, a huge thanks to Christina for nominating me, and putting my name out there! I can’t wait to read what my fellow newbie writers in the community post.

Thanks for reading, friends.

Jan

The Daily Post’s Daily Prompt 1/25/2016 | Key Takeaway

“Give your newer sisters and brothers-in-WordPress one piece of advice based on your experiences blogging.”

YouTube, vlogging, blogging, Instagram, Twitter, podcasting… the biggest piece of advice that I could give to someone, is to not worry about the numbers. This is something that I have struggled with, no matter what platform that I chose to express myself on. The most important thing to remember is that if you have good, relatable content, the followers and subscribers will come. It may take months, or even years, but if you stick with it, and stay true to yourself, and what you want to produce, then it will happen.

Focus on quality, not quantity.

I think everyone secretly thinks that it will happen overnight. That they will put out a few blog posts, or a few witty videos on YouTube, and all these people will magically find them, and they will become a hit sensation immediately, and become monetized, or even sponsored, but that’s not how it works. You also have to put yourself out there. Find other, like-minded people in the community, and reach out to them. Participate, give feedback. You can’t expect to gain anything, if you’re not willing to give.

Stay patient, don’t give up. It will happen.

Thanks for reading, friends.

Jan