My Blogging Mantra
I tend to write about blogging a lot on this blog. Probably because I like it, I don’t think I’m awful at it and way deep down under marketing content Lauren… I love to educate. My degree is in English Education ya know! Lucky y’all 🙂
I think when you write a blog, it’s easy to get lost in it. It’s easy to feel superior because you have an audience of readers that respect you enough to read your blog. It’s easy to feel outside of yourself because the internet gives us all a mask of anonymity. I’m guilty of both of those things from time to time for sure, but I try not to be.
For whatever reason, I think I need a reminder of my blogging mantra… and maybe you’ll like it too.
Be Humble.
I am not the best at riding or blogging (even though I want to be). Even though I’m sure there are some things I do better than you or know more about than you, there are plenty of things I have to learn. Regardless of how little (or how much) someone does in the equestrian world, they have something they can teach me.
Be Honest.
I have good days and bad days. Sometimes my horse thrills me and I am thrilled! Sometimes I’m close to despair. Don’t sugar coat things. Don’t fake it for readers or try to be someone I think the internet wants me to be. That’s a recipe for disaster.
Be Accurate.
There are plenty of things I know enough to post about without much research, but if I’m sketchy in an area… research it. Don’t be so confident in my knowledge that I write inaccurate information and preach it as truth.
Be Ordinary.
One of my favorite teachers gave me the best advice when it comes to creative writing – make the ordinary extraordinary. I don’t need to drum up all kinds of drama around my content, and I don’t need to name drop or spread negativity about others to stand out. Try to write about my little ho hum experience in the best way I can. Try to make ordinary ‘ol Simon seem like as much of a star to the world as he does to me.
Be Original.
You know the cliches… think outside the box. March to the beat of your own drum. Sure, there’s no such thing as a truly original idea… but I need to get as close as I can.
They’re simple, but these statements are good reminders for me and blogging and life [I just tried to think of some funny quote from the Karate Kid to put here but to be honest I’ve never seen that movie 100% of the way through. Whoops]
Do you have any mantras you like to remind yourself when blogging?
23 thoughts on “My Blogging Mantra”
My only mantra is to get it written. I’m super sloppy about my pony blog. I basically sit down, write, publish. I don’t edit. I don’t spell check. I don’t re-read. My job is actually to blog for my company, so it’s a little sad how I don’t even organize my thoughts. I just throw it all out there like a big heap of used clothes. Occasionally, there are some cashmere sweaters in there, but mostly my blog is still a jumble of t-shirts with holes and jeans that don’t fit me. 🙂 Maybe some day I’ll get my act together…..
I probably should have added “have fun” because I do think that blogs are individual for everyone. One person’s review blog is another person’s online journal is another person’s “here are pictures of my pony!” 🙂
BE YOURSELF! The equestrian blogosphere definitely has its own sort of culture, and it can be easy to get sucked into thinking that your blog should look/feel/sound like someone else’s blog. But you know what? IT DOESN’T! That’s the great thing about blogging, it can be whatever you want it to be, and if your content is interesting and you have an engaging voice, people will read it. I don’t really worry about what people want to see or read, I just do my thang, and the readers find me. 🙂
Great attitude to have, love it!
I definitely march to the beat of my own drum, letting my freak flag fly behind me. I also like to remember to not get caught up in anyone else because If I’m wrapped up in someone elses’ life and drama whose going to be wrapped up in mine? no one thats who 😛
And also, do it because I want to not because I have to.
I love yo drama! Haha. And yes, when a blog becomes a “has to” instead of a “want to” something is wrong in my opinion.
Great article! My big one is “enjoy the journey”. I started my blog mostly to document my personal experiences. The fact that a few people are interested enough to stop by regularly and make a comment is really icing on the cake for me. If I had gotten into it wanting X number of subscribers or X amount of advertising dollars coming in, I would be sorely disappointed but since I have always done it for myself, I am pretty content with where things are at.
Great input. While I do have targets I’d like to hit for visitors and subscribers (to satisfy the marketing side of my brain that is trying to develop), I blog first and foremost because I like it!
I agree with Laura whole-heartedly! I do similarly with my own blog and write about many things… though most of my lesson posts are for me when I am reading past posts to see where I have progressed to now… the good lessons inspire and the bad ones keep me humble.
I think #1 and #2 are the most important to me and I strive to always accomplish both in every post I write!
I think this is a really great perspective, and what you’ve said about your mantras really resonates with how I have tried to approach blogging myself. #1 has been the most difficult for me, especially in finding the balance between belittling myself vs overcorrecting my self esteem issues with self promotion. Even in my last post about my cross country schooling, I debated sharing whether I was a big baby and cried or not. It was so tempting to be all like, “Foster’s a rock star! I’m a rock star too!”, but in the end I think you are right, and it is important to share those moments of humanity in case anyone else might relate.
I tend to be overly hard on myself too. What I’ve found interesting is that in posts where I am being honest about how bad I feel about my riding or my weight or whatever, I get a lot of validation from people I respect saying their opinions. Sure, they could be blowing smoke up my ass… but through being honest on the blog I’ve began to have more of a overall look of my “equestrian self” through reading feedback from others.
Great points thank you!
This is a great post! I really believe that honesty is what wins in the blog world. I retreat to my blog when I’m needing to be most honest. Sometimes in life and in sports you can’t say what you are feeling, we are trained to not show it. Having the chance to let it all out brings us together!
My mantra is: “If there isn’t a swear word in there somewhere, it’s not going to work. Go back and rewrite it.”
…I like this. I may adopt this one for myself. +1!
I had been posting religiously on my personal blog EmisaGem since 2009. I just got really tired so Wilbur and Emily was the perfect way to switch it up. I never kept track of readers or page views on emisagem and don’t allow comments. It was new to receive comments on the blog and I still work to make sure to write for myself rather than an audience! No matra here except ‘keep on keepin’ on’
All of this is so true. I need to remind myself to be honest frequently. Of course I love blogging about the days when Mollie is great and everything is just rainbows and unicorns but have to try harder to talk about the days that are difficult… because that’s real life.
I think to myself – ‘be careful what you put on the internet’.
I write my blog because I like to tell stories, so I also think ‘never let the truth get in the way of a good story’.
So not necessarily following your ‘be honest’ policy with those two. 😀
Have something to say. Never bore your audience. edit edit edit. Those roll around my head a lot.
Great post – lots of good stuff to think about. I do web and social media stuff at work, so I tend to not organize my personal stuff as much. I just let it happen. I find that I tend to eventually stop reading blogs (horse/non-horse-related) that get too monetized or too scheduled. I totally get wanting to earn a bit of money from a blog, but I think some are better at it than others. If it gets to commercial and the posts are dry and formulaic, then I’ll eventually get bored and move on. Your blog isn’t like that though – don’t worry! 😉
Reading this post reminds me that I should either start writing again or shut down my blog for good. Oh, the decisions… lol
Yep. When I write, I try to tell a story. Everything has a story. Buying a new pad has a story in it if you really look. I also make it my mission to write about the positive things. If I can’t say anything positive, I tend to put the “thing” on a back burner until it is resolved and can then be positive. Of course, not everything goes well, and I do write about those things, but I always try to leave the door open for a positive outcome. :0)
I love blogging, I find it hard to find time but I try and write when I can. I love reading just as much so I try and do that as well. I find blogging interesting when people get upset at comments that are made on the blog. I understand sometimes it’s hurtful, I’ve been there too, but take everything with a grain of salt – or hey, maybe some reader advice IS good advice. Lord knows I have learned a few things through the blogosphere. My mantra is have an open mind, don’t get down, and enjoy what you do.