So you think you might like to start a blog
I never would have imagined six months ago that I would be one to start a blog. At the time, my husband and I were looking for creative income streams, and I thought he would be great as a blogger. He loves to write, so why not?
We went to a meeting our friend who blogs at Laugh With Us Blog, hosted sharing her blogging experience. As I sat there, I realized two things: 1 - I could do this, and 2 - I wanted to.
Where to Start:
There are so many wonderful helps out there that walk you step by step through starting your own blog. Here are two that I referenced when I started:
Start a Blog by Writing about what you love
The most important thing I learned from my friend was that I should write about what I love. Since homeschooling is my primary job right now, that would be the topic of my writing. It has pushed me to reflect on what I'm doing in my homeschool as well as challenged me to continue learning and growing to be better every day.
I call myself a homeschool lifestyle blogger because while I write about the ins and outs of our homeschooling, I also write about our life including food and travel. You could write about anything though!
A Business Blog?
When you think about blogging as a business, what do you imagine? I don't know about you, but I didn't picture writing about what I love (my homeschooling lifestyle), sharing products I love (books, books, and more books...and the occasional other fun product), and interacting with my friends.
My goal with my blog is to make some extra money to help cover the expenses associated with homeschooling. This means often I get free products and opportunities to take my kids on adventures that we couldn't have afforded otherwise.
Paula Rollo, Becky Mansfield, and Holly Homer over at Blogger2Business are taking the whole blogger business to another level. They make it look easy, but they're also totally willing to share all of their tips and tricks.
Keep Learning
There is so much to learn! This feeling can be overwhelming at times, but be encouraged that just like any other subject, you've got to start with the grammar. You need to find out the definitions and the basics and then be patient as the logic of blogging starts connecting those bits together. It will take time to be rhetorical in your blogging, but if you're willing to work hard and learn, you will get better with time!
Have you ever thought of starting a blog? What keeps you from taking that first step?
Betsy Strauss is an unexpected homeschooler, mother of three, who is in a relationship with a sweet man for life. She loves reading books, drinking coffee, and learning anything with her kids.
The reason I’m afraid to start is I have an incredibly fragile ego, and people on the internet can be really mean. I once saw a nasty comment on an article about homemade chicken nuggets. Who gets mad about chicken nugget recipes?! So I’m afraid of jerks showing up in my comments and taking a dump in my proverbial cornflakes.
Thanks for the article!
People do crazy things! You may have something to say that blesses others. You can always just turn the comments off if it gets crazy!
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I’ve enjoyed your blog for many months now. So much so I’ve decided to start my own too. I’m enjoying your resources and perspective on home, life and education. You are certainly a few steps ahead of me, but I’m looking forward to your next posts. All the best from way over here!
You’re welcome! I’m excited to see what you do with your blog. It’s been a huge learning curve for me too, but so worth it. Blessings on your journey, and I’ll be excited to follow your blog!