Hello friends! I'm so excited to have Pearl @ Pearl Christine do this guest post for you all today! Pearl recently started a new blog, and she's kicking it off by doing a wonderful blog tour! I was so thrilled to be asked to be a part of it, and Pearl was able to put together this post about how blogging has impacted her writing personally. This is also part three of the Young Writer's Series, so I hope you find it helpful, especially coming from a longtime young writer and fellow blogger!
~ ABOUT PEARL CHRISTINE ~
Pearl Christine is a Jesus-loving historical and contemporary fiction writer who writes to glorify and serve her King. When she’s not writing, you can find her lost in the woods with her camera, in the middle of another creative project, spending time with her seven siblings, running, or writing and decorating letters. You can find her at her website, pearlchristine.com, where she talks about all things creative.
FIVE WAYS BLOGGING HAS IMPACTED MY WRITING
I remember when starting a blog first crossed my mind. One of my writing friends had just launched hers, and I had never thought of it until now. Almost as soon as the thought came, I shoved it away. I can do that later, I thought, mostly because I was too scared and nervous to even think of starting a blog. But a few days later, my mom asked me what I thought about starting a blog. She thought it’d be good for me, and the writing program I was part of, The Young Writer’s Workshop, had many resources on starting a blog. So. . . I took the plunge. Within a month, my blog was up and running. I just recently hit my one-year blog anniversary, and I’m currently launching a second blog, hence the reason for this tour. In the past year, I’ve learned so much and grown more than I could have imagined. So, here are five ways things blogging has taught me and impacted my writing.
1. IT TAUGHT ME CONSISTENCY
When I first started blogging, I was writing maybe three to four times a week, I definitely had a good schedule. But blogging pushed me to write when I didn’t want to write. When I didn’t think I could write. I originally started by posting every day, I kept that up for nearly two months when I realized it was time to change to something slower, so I switched to two times a week, and later on to one. But I still had to write posts and keep up a streak of consistency. I had a few consistent readers like my mom, grandma, and a dear friend who read my blog every day and kept me consistent.
2. IT TAUGHT ME TO PUSH THROUGH EVEN WHEN I DIDN'T THINK I COULD
As I mentioned in my last point, blogging taught me how to write when I didn’t want to write. Or when I didn’t think I could write. It kept me writing and made me push through when I hit writer’s block. I had to keep writing—even when I didn’t feel like writing, I had to write, there were posts that needed to be written, and people waiting for the posts. So, I wrote. Even if it took me two hours to write one simple post, I still wrote.
3. IT TAUGHT ME HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS AND STEP OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE
I’ve always been pretty energetic, spontaneous, and extroverted in real life, but I definitely shy up online–blogging made it easy for me to make friends because there are so many amazing and friendly bloggers out there. It made me step out of my comfort zone when I reached out to do a collab with someone I had only chatted with a few times. It taught me how to be more friendly, and build and be part of a community.
4. IT TAUGHT ME A BIT OF TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE
Now, knowing tech doesn’t have much to do with being a writer, but it is incredibly helpful to have at least a bit of website and newsletter building under your belt, and blogging definitely taught me that. Plus, it gave me graphic design experience, and so much more.
5. IT TAUGHT AND SHOWED ME MY VOICE
When I first started blogging and an email list, I was terrified of bothering people and was very shy and unconfident. My poor first subscribers who have stuck with me all the way can definitely tell you how awkward and nervous I was in the beginning. But within a few months, I found my confidence, learned that it’s okay to ask for help, and found my voice.
Blogging has been a journey over the past year, a journey full of growth and change and so much more. I’m so glad I took the plunge and started blogging a year ago. It’s done so much more than I could state in this post, and if you’re thinking about blogging and think you’d enjoy it, go ahead! Just try it. You’ll be surprised at how easy it really is. And if you don’t like it. . . you don’t have to keep going. But no matter what, whether you start a blog or not. . . just keep writing.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
I’d love to hear what you think! Do you blog? If so, what’s one thing you’ve learned from blogging? What’s your favorite thing about blogging? Are you thinking about starting a blog and just need the push to do so? Comment below so we can chat!
PEARL CHRISTINE BLOG TOUR
Thank you SO much Pearl for sharing this post, I really appreciate you taking the time to put this together! I hope you all enjoyed it as well, and make sure to go check out her new blog Pearl Christine to read more of her work! Also, keep this post up for tomorrow, when the next part of the tour will be launching! You can head over to Aliya @ A Mountain Girl’s Meandering to read the spotlight and review for Pearl Christine! See you all next time, for part four of the Young Writer's Series! I hope you all have a wonderful October, and enjoy the rest of the tour! Farewell!
~ A CLOSING QUOTE BY L.M MONTGOMERY ~
“If you can sit in silence with a person for half an hour and yet be entirely comfortable, you and that person can be friends. If you cannot, friends you'll never be and you need not waste time in trying.” ― L.M. Montgomery, The Blue Castle