Blogging | Starting your own blog

Sounds pretty basic right? Don't you just start writing and press post? Well yes and no,  you'd be surprised how many non starter blogs I have had throughout my life, simply because I was so overwhelmed with the amount of work it can actually take just to get started. From the earlier days of piczo to various wordpress and blogger platforms I've seen 'em all! I have tampered with writing a film review blog, dabbled in beauty tutorials and even tried my hand at keeping a virtual diary, but somehow it's only Granite City Girl that has stuck. So from my wealth of failures, experiences and general blogging knowlege, here are my top tips, pointers and unsolicited advice for starting your own blog and more importantly, keeping it going!

Take your time and work from the ground up

One of the biggest mistakes you can make when you're starting out is rushing into blogging, particularly when you are bursting with bright new ideas, you could be in danger of just emptying your head all at once on to a web page and suddenly you're left feeling a bit depleted. In fact you'll see when I first started Granite City Girl this happened around the second month of posting and it's just a big ole mess! Take an afternoon, make yourself a cup of tea and write down your first few blog post ideas in a notebook, decide on your own schedule (you can read more about post scheduling here) and build from there. 

Find a user friendly platform you are comfortable with 

Usually you'll find yourself falling into one of two blogging platforms, Wordpress or Blogger (the latter is what I use) Sometimes writing can be the easy part, especially if you're not quite so tech savvy and coding gives you the willies! Don't give yourself another barrier, keep it simple and find what works best for you and build from the ground up, and please, please, don't throw money at your blog right away, research, read and educate yourself.

Speak to your fellow bloggers

This is something I wish I had known and had the gumption to do when I first started out. As much as it may sometimes feel like it, blogging isn't one big race or competition and your fellow bloggers are your greatest allies and more importantly teachers when it comes to starting your own blog. It might be a friend, family member or even a co worker who runs their own blog, pick their brains, ask them their big dos and don'ts, hell ask how they got invited to that amazing event and what their writing process is (isn't that such a pretentious phrase?) They do say you never stop learning and don't be a fool by thinking blogging is any different.

This all feels like advice I wish I had had before starting my own blog so I do hope this helps someone out there at least. Are you thinking of starting your own blog, or maybe you're a seasoned blogger with even more tips to share for the newbies out there, either way be sure to leave all of your thoughts, comments, experiences and tricks below! Otherwise you can catch up with me and my latest posts and musings on Twitter or Bloglovin.

Until next time folks, 

H.Elizabeth