I hope you are well and for those of you based in the UK, I don’t know about you, but I feel hope is starting to creep into the days ahead. The bright blue skies and sunshine over the past few days have really helped.
This month’s blog is celebrating my 3-year WordPress anniversary! ((Happy anniversary to us Peachy. I cannot believe I’ve put up with you for three years and I haven’t been given my own blog yet!)) I don’t think the world is quite ready for you, Brackets.
In April 2018 I started my writing journey and decided to create this blog/website to document my journey. It’s been an adventure, that is for sure. If you’re thinking of creating a website/blog to help with your author career or to keep you accountable as I did, then go for it. Yes, it does take a bit of work to set it up. Depending on what you want to do with it, it can cost money but I can highly recommend WordPress, their helpline is amazing – ((Do you remember when you deleted your website?)) Yes! It was terrifying, thank the dragons for the tech gurus!
Using WordPress has given me a lot of scope to develop my webpages over time. I started with an ‘About me’ page and my blog and I’ve added five pages to my website over the years as I’ve developed my scope/skills as a writer. It’s still terrifying to make a website page live, but if you do make a mistake, you can always amend it. So, try not to stress about it. If people are not forgiving – do you really want them as followers?
For me, one of the benefits of having a blog is that it keeps me accountable. Initially, I wrote weekly blogs but eventually it became difficult to create interesting and relevant content. ((You think what you create now is interesting?? Seriously, you’ve been in lockdown WAY too long, Peachy!)) This way, I wasn’t just writing a blog for the sake of it. At the beginning of the year I write a list of things I want to share, but these can change depending on what’s happening at the time.
It can often feel a little daunting when you create a website, but just keep it simple and enjoy it! One of the reasons I brought Brackets into my posts is because I wanted my blogs to be informative but also enjoyable to read. I’ve only been writing ‘officially’ for 3 years so I still have a lot to learn, I worry about spelling and grammatical errors, and that my blogs will be boring ((That’s never going to happen with me about, Peachy. I can always be relied on to ramp up the insults or sarcasm when I feel like your readers are falling asleep!))
I’ve connected with many people during the time I’ve had my website and through social media; Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. I’m not one who goes for numbers, I go for quality and people who are on their own journeys and like to interact. I like to connect with people, and developing those relationships takes time and you need to balance that with life, work, writing and all the other little things which can be a drain on your time. So really do think about why you’re starting a website, do you really have the time for it? Make sure you wouldn’t be better putting your time and effort into another social media platform. I think if you want to self-publish or go down the traditional route then having some sort of social media presence is helpful.
I hope this has been useful for anyone thinking of starting a website/blog. I’ve added a few stats below ((Ohhh, I love stats!)) Me too, Brackets. If you have any questions about starting a website/blog please comment below. Happy to help.
| Followers | 185 |
| Countries | 20 |
| Posts | 79 |
| Visitors | 2,134 |
| Views | 5,848 |
| Words | 62,300 (novel length!) |
I’m hoping to be able to share another new venture I’m working on next month. I’ve been delighted with the response for the Secret Garden Studio plans I shared with you last month. Exciting times ahead!
See you next month,
Clair x ((and Brackets))
P.S. I’m off to have cake – it is my anniversary!
C.L. Peache 