Becuase I haven’t done enough lately what with yesterday’s little pity party and my blog pondering post from last week.? But I’m nearly 35 weeks pregnant, hot and tired and I get to blog about whatever I want to blog about because it’s MY BLOG.? So nyah.
One of Amy’s responses today to a Wednesday Advice Smackdown question involved how to get started with making the money using blogging and freelance gigs.? Anyone who has ever had the slightest interest in writing goes all starry-eyed at the thought of gaining a monstrous blog audience and landing some serious freelance gigs that actually pay you to do what you’re already doing for fun anyhow.? If they deny it then they’re lying.
I grew up wanting to be a writer.? Sure, there were stints in elementary school early on where I wanted to be a radio DJ (huh??), a school teacher, even a WAITRESS at one point.? In the second grade, my school was participating in this program called the “Young Author’s Fair”, and each class would write a story, illustrate it and then that story would get bound into an actual book and submitted to this fair.? And this is when I knew I was meant to be a writer.? Not that I ever won any awards in this fair.? In the third grade, I had a teacher who probably wanted to encourage my passion for writing and gave me a side award for “excellence in bookmaking”.? Yeah, I still have that one.? I certainly did this whole writing thing with more passion than finesse.
I started writing stories in notebooks at home, and then as I got older and school got more boring, I wrote in these books during class as well.? In fact, some of my best writing came during Geometry and Chemistry classes.? I had friends who would read my books as I wrote them and their enthusiasm was a great motivator.? In college, I majored in English and took many a creative writing workshop.? I really enjoyed actually having a class that encouraged me to write stories and where I could learn techniques and hone my skills.? But that’s also where the trouble started.? I realized more and more that I really had a lot to learn about writing.? That my skill had a long way to go to catch up with my passion.? And I stopped writing so much.
Then I got married and had a child… and you know how this goes.? I’ve always kept a journal during each pregnancy though, keeping track of my symptoms, feelings, experiences, etc.? Sometimes I’ve journaled outside of pregnancy but not a whole lot.? I guess this is a roundabout way of saying that when the opportunity came along to start a blog, I knew it was a good thing for me.? I could get writing again, even if it wasn’t stories.? Because in the world of Writerdom, writing is writing.? At the same time I started this blog, I was just closing down a little business I had going where I made “downloadables” for the PC game, “The Sims”.? That whole stint taught me a lot about website creation and graphic design.
So I guess it came as no surprise that I eventually combined the two.? The writing and the graphic design? came together nicely in blogging.? Because when I started with WordPress there weren’t a lot of “girly” looking themes available.? So I learned how to make my themes so I could have something that looked girly on my site.? I’ve always preferred a customized look anyhow.? And I started making themes for other people to download and enjoy.? And that evolved into Lilac Pixels which is a rather successful business these days.? It keeps me busy (sometimes too busy!) and I truly do enjoy working with the graphics and layouts.
But it all comes back to the writing.? I love to write on my blog and even though sometimes I dont seem to have a good topic to write about or enough time to write, I try to get something done every day.? Not really for any audience I might have (thought they might be a motivator), but because I need to write.
This blog is for me.? That’s why I started it, and that’s why I keep writing in it.? Naturally, I’m thrilled if others read it or leave comments because that means that I’m reaching someone else.? But if no one read this site?? I’d still keep writing.? Every day.? Would I love to make some more money from what I do?? Sure!? Why do you think I have the ads up in the sidebar?? Of course, those pay pretty much NOTHING because I’m pretty small potatoes.? But who cares?
Maybe someday I’ll write a book and get it published, and maybe I won’t. Maybe I’ll “hit it big” with my blog and maybe I won’t.? If only a few people ever really read this site, then that’s just fine.? I love my readers, all of you make “my job” more fullfilling. If I had known how wonderful having a blog was back before I started, I would have started a LOT sooner.
This is me. I'm a thirtysomething stay at home mom to three kids. For years I was a stay at home mom to one kid and trying very hard to have more. It took a LONG time (ie: 6 1/2 years), but finally Liam arrived and charmed us with his blue eyes and ginormous, round head. Then we got a shock: I was pregnant again and this time it was a GIRL. Our hearts and home are full at last and now that we're done having babies, we get to relax (snort) and watch them grow (not too fast now, you hear?). Thanks for coming by, feel free to dip into my archives, read my About and History pages (just don't do Jackson's Story without tissues!) and make yourself at home.
