And just like that my baby, Maria's Scribbles is 1! This year has absolutely flown by. This isn't the first time I've attempted the "blogging" scene. I wrote a travel blog series called Rustic Roamer Blog back in 2014. It's still there if anyone wants to read about it Rustic Roamer Blog. There are blog pieces on my time in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore, New Zealand and Australia so some of it may be helpful if anyone is thinking about travelling to one of those countries....
Anyways, back to Maria's Scribbles because it's her birthday!! I started the blog last February because I wanted a hobby outside of work (for those who don't already know I'm a nurse). I don't have to tell any of you that it can be a stressful job and I use writing as an outlet to de-stress. If anything it's a form of therapy. I've written about various things from Braces: 8 Months In - The Low Down! to my most read piece by far last August, 29 Things I Learned Before Turning 30! The response from that piece was huge and I still can't believe it had nearly 25,000 hits. People still mention that piece to me and it will always be a special one to me. But although I say I use Maria's Scribbles as a therapeutic outlet to write that doesn't mean it's easy.
I'm twelve months in to this blogging craic now so I thought I'd lay out a few of the things I've learned:
1. Blogging Is Very Hard. There I've said it. There is no sugar coating it. I feel many people have this idea of, 'Oh look at her. All she does is take a few pictures and promote a product, uses #Ad and gets paid.' (I'm not referring to me here I'm talking about bloggers in general). There is so much more to it than that. I could never imagine doing it full time and I admire those that do because it can't be easy. I love my clothes but the thought of having to have a perfect #ootd EVERY day would send me into a fast meltdown. I like my no make up days and when I'm working all I wear is track suit bottoms and hoodies to and from the hospital. I wear little or no make up to work. I just couldn't be arsed!
2. It's Extremely Hard To Get Your Work "Out There". You could be the best writer in the world but if you're not good at marketing or have no idea how social media works it's going to be extremely difficult for you. I was very naive to this up until about a month ago. If anyone can help me with this PLEASE let me know!
3. You Need To Stop Worrying About What People Think. This is such a tricky one believe me, I know! You have your blog platform, you're enjoying what you're doing but it is very natural to fear being judged or afraid of people thinking, 'Who does that wan think she is?' It's not just acquaintances you'd worry about. If you're anything like me you'd fear judgement from family and friends too. Even though mine have been great, there's always that little "Oh God, what if they think this is shite" moment. For me my blog is like my own little magazine of which I am editor of. It's up to me what makes the final cut. If people don't like it there's nothing I can do about it. You can't please everyone so there's no point in trying. As long as you like your own content and find it cathartic then that's all that matters.
4. Bloggers Follow And Unfollow. It's become pretty clear to me that an awful lot of accounts build up their accounts by following thousands of accounts in the hope that they are followed back. When they are followed back they unfollow these accounts to make it look like they've loads of followers. I know, it's annoying as hell!
5. Follow Real People. There are a lot of bloggers out there that you know are genuine. These are my kind of people. I love watching Instagram stories from people if they have something genuinely interesting to say and don't go harping on about how they've had "the worst day" because if they're doing that all they are doing is wasting YOUR day. I love following people that make me want to do better.
- Someone who has been really lovely to me is @morleysmotivation. Her content is real and useful and we bond over the fact we've the same orthodontist! When I see her stories it makes me want to get up and moving.
- Another lady I admire is @sineaddeblogger. She is a nurse like me, however she too puts a lot of work into her blog content and organises events and workshops. To top it all off she's in the middle of a masters. I honestly don't know where she gets the time to do it all but she is proof that it can be done.
- I've recently started following @dr.doireannoleary. I'm loving her content. She's a young GP from Cork and as well as giving useful, practical, evidenced based health advice she has gorgeous style.
SO, that's' year one wrapped up. I'm looking forward to what 2019 brings and seeing what content I can produce. I really want to thank everyone for their support throughout the year. It means a lot to me. As always if there's anything you'd like me to tackle PLEASE let me know. There is no better feedback than the thoughts of the reader so it is very welcome!
Love,
Maria
x
