6 months into blogging

As I’ve hit the 6 months mark into my blogging experience (gosh where has the time gone?) I thought why not share my honest experience and the ride I am on so far. I’ve learnt loads in these past six months and I’m yet to learn more… after all it’s all part of the evolution process of being a blogger…

Planning

Before riyawrite.com even existed I had already drafted material that I wanted to put on my website and in hindsight it was the best thing I did. Having content meant I could plan for future blogs without having to stress about a blog which I haven’t yet completed but needed to be published that week. This also minimised having a dry week so my blogs are consistently being posted week by week. As you know life can be unpredictable and you can’t always commit to a Sunday afternoon for blogs so planning ahead helped on the weekends which I did have other plans and you never know… those plans could turn into a fab blog post!

Mistakes

Where do I begin LOL. My biggest mistake was not starting my blog sooner. I should have started over a year ago. I’ve wanted to blog for ages but in my head I over complicated things and was always waiting for the right time. I always talked myself out of the idea to blog ‘now’ because I wasted so much time trying to get it right – logo design, website, Instagram page etc but in reality the perfect time is now (as cheesy as it sounds). My blog, style and pictures are constantly evolving and the truth is I will never have it figured… welcome to the world of creativity. You learn as you go or should I say you learn as soon as you start (another cheese)! What I thought my website would look like to what it is today has changed and I’m sure it will change again in 6 months’ time. My Instagram page has evolved in these past 6 months and I’m sure with time it will keep on evolving. I’ve recently learnt this is a journey and I’ve got to enjoy the ride (more cheese).

 Being true to myself

I remember when I first decided I was going to blog I wanted it to be a travel only blogging site. Everytime I went travelling I was bursting to share my experience and tell a story. I soon realised this required me to do a lot of travelling which I didn’t mind, but I would have to fund it myself which I did mind! I didn’t have that kind of money plus I was interested in various other topics too such as dating, working life, restaurants, make-up, bars, museums, cooking etc etc which I knew I would be able to create great content without having to break my bank balance. I wanted to write about everything that interested me which was overly ambitious. Just because I have a passion for writing it doesn’t mean I will enjoy writing about every single topic and I was yet to learn this. I remember writing about an Exhibition I went to and thinking why am I doing this? If I don’t enjoy what I’m writing about how can I expect my readers to enjoy this too? It also felt like I was doing a piece of homework rather than this quirky passion of mine so I decided to re-jig my website again, chopped and changed the categories section and only write about topics which I 100% connect with, not half connect with just for the sake of getting a blog out.

Website

I started using wix but was then recommended to use wordpress by a freelance web designer I found on LinkedIn. WordPress is very straight forward to manage and the best platform for bloggers. Having Melvyn on board really helped as I was so indecisive on how I wanted my blog to look like and to be honest I just didn’t know where to begin. Melvyn really helped me achieve my goal and answered all my techy queries (trust me there were loads). It was just easier for me to have a website designer but I wouldn’t say it is essential. There was a real ‘hallelujah’ moment when www.riyawrite.com became live as if my dreams had come true :)! I owe it to Melvyn!

Write

I’ve drafted a lot of my blogs to and from work on the bus. I’m not even joking. I have 50 mins journey each way and it would be wasted if I didn’t spend that time wisely especially because I’m more ‘on it’ first thing in the morning or sometimes I have a random urge to write after work (sometimes even during work). If I had left all my writing for the evenings I don’t think I would have got much done as I’m usually shattered, out of energy and not at my creative peak. Evenings are usually for typing up material, editing and proof reading. I’m one of those annoying people who always carries an A4 notepad wherever I go so if you ever see someone with a scribbles pad, engrossed in writing and oblivious to the outside world say hello, it might be ME 🙂

I’d love to hear your ride so far… Whether it’s been one month, one year or one decade. Please share as we can all take tips from one another.

Riya Write

7 Comments

  1. I’ve been blogging for 5 months now and I completely relate to this post! Blogging was one of the best decisions I ever made for myself 💛

  2. Hi riya. I am reading your stuff with interest. Just waiting to have baby 👶🍼
    keep up good work x

  3. This is a topic that’s near to my heart… Take care! Where are your contact details though?

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