open line #3.


Shortly after I posted last week's open line
I got a sweet email from a reader posing this question to me: 

Question: Sometimes, I get nervous sharing things on my blog. I feel like more people would enjoy reading my posts if I was more carefree and wrote more openly. Do you have any advice for me?

Answer: When I began blogging about four months ago, I did it for me. I did it because I needed a creative outlet. I also did it without telling all my friends and family. After a few weeks, I started to share my blog with my closest friends. Many people in my life still don't know about it--
and that's ok in my book.

I think the reason I was able to be open and honest in my posts is because I wasn't initially worried about who was reading it...or how they would perceive what I wrote. As I share my blog with more people in my life, I do find myself spending more time on each post because I want to have proper grammar and {what I hope is} fabulous content.

{via}

As an aside, I'm sure some of you are also wondering why I go by {av}. Plain and simple...Google. I'm certainly not trying to blog in secret. I just don't want any potential future employer {or even a high school frenemy} to find out my opinion of Talbots or how I dream about spending my Fridays--unless I voluntarily tell them. {This also is why I don't promote my blog via facebook--though I really do love how facebook makes the world a smaller place!} 


Going by {av} does, however, give me the ability to be honest and open about how I feel without worrying about the Google repercussions. I doubt it makes me feel more "carefree" about what I post, but it definitely helps me to maintain a sense of
control over the information I choose to share.


{via}

My advice to her
  • If you're having trouble opening up about something on your blog, start a post--and immediately click on "post options." Click on "post date and time" and schedule the post for some time or day in the future.
  • Write the post! Open your heart. Be honest--and carefree! No one is seeing this when you first click the bright orange "publish post" button. {When you click it with a scheduled time, it simply goes to your page full of posts in blogger.}
  • Let the post percolate a bit. Step away. Take a run. Do some homework. Only revisit it after a few hours of distraction from thinking about what you just wrote.
  • Reread the post when you've been sufficiently distracted. Preview it. Do you feel comfortable reading it on your own blog? If you do, amend the scheduled time of the post and share it with the world. If you don't, take some more time {be it days, weeks, or months} until you do. No one will penalize you for that.

I think most people start blogging because they want to document their lives in some shape or fashion. Starting a blog takes guts. Sharing the blog takes guts. Commenting on other blogs takes guts. Each of these actions signals a person's willingness to put themselves out there. 

{via}

Thankfully, I've found the blogosphere to be incredibly supportive and encouraging. {Kind of like those PRECIOUS kittens. uhoh, my inner cat lady is coming out.} When you have fun things to share, people pump you up with their comments. When people disagree with you, they generally keep their mouth shut. And if they don't respect your ability to express your opinion? 
I consider that to be just plain rude

All that being said, be kind to your fellow blogger. We're all here for a reason, whether we know it or not. Let's support one another genuinely and allow everyone to share what's on their hearts--
on their own time.

What other advice might you give this reader?
What helps you break through blogger block?

As always, my line is open 24/7. Please feel free to email me at longdistanceloving{at}gmail{dot}com with any questions--about life, blogging, relationships, 
or anything really. I'll help as best as I know how!

All of my love to the Friday's Fancies faithful--what lovely looks you created yesterday! I'm already looking forward to next week :) Have a fabulous Saturday, everyone! xoxo {av}

24 comments:

  1. Wow...I am most impressed at your readership after only 4 months! That is quite a testament to your lovely posts and the content. I think this is very sound advice...thank you for sharing. :)

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  2. YAY! What great advice! A lot of people don't know about my blog & I'm totally cool with that too, especially because they I don't have to worry about people "stalking" or being judgmental.
    I must say, although I'm not quite sure what a midwest accent sounds like, they DO rock. :) :)
    <3 <3 leigh

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  3. Always love your advice. It's honest, but always caring.

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  4. This is great advice; you seem like a sweetheart. Glad to "know" you =)

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  5. Wonderful post! We do need to be kind to our fellow bloggers. I agree, it's just plain rude when people leave comments on posts.

    I actually don't think that many of my old friends from where I grew up read my blog, and that's okay. I have 'met' so many kind and genuine people through blogging that it's totally worth it to put yourself out there once in a while. (:

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  6. Great great advice! Thanks for your kind words, too!!! Look forward to following you!!
    Michelle
    thevintageapple.blogspot.com

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  7. amazing advice! i wish i would have blogged anonymously from the beginning and I still don't like using pictures of us either because of google and stuff. blah.

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  8. Thanks for the perspective- I've never had a problems with sharing or putting myself out there, but I do make considerations about privacy at times. It's hard to know where to draw the line.

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  9. love all this advice. sometimes if i'm having blogger's blog i just don't blog for a day. i think you can get overwhelmed by the pressure that however many people are expecting a post that day that you overthink it....sometimes a day off is just what you need to get the creative juices flowing again!

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  10. Glad to have found your blog and great advice! As someone relatively new to blogging, I have found the blogging world to be an incredibly supporting place to be an outlet for my creativity. Thanks for sharing this post!
    ~ Julie

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  11. I have asked myself this same question numerous times in the blogging world. Because I haven't kept this blog a secret and pretty much everyone in my life reads it, I do have to be careful! But I like what you said... and I often do the same thing - I will write a post and just save it instead of posting it. I will go do something else for a while and come back to it, edit it as I see fit and then post it. But usually, I feel good about being honest. The thing that scares me most about the blogging world is the creepers - and I don't know that there are even any creepers out there who care about me ;)

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  12. I don't share my real name in my blog. I love being open in every post and wouldn't want to place boundaries on the content. A selected group of people know about my blog, but the idea of telling the people in my real life about my blog freaks me out, I wouldn't want the negative people from my past hunt me on blogging.

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  13. Great advice! You sound so much like me. I try to be very honest on my blog and I've very new to the blog world and for a long time none of my friends or my family knew I was blogging. Now I've become more open about it and pay more attention to my content.

    Hope you're having a great weekend! :)

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  14. I agree with not sharing much on your blog. I can't say I don't though, I love the support and comments I get from friends and coworkers thru my blog.
    I'm very impressed with your following after only 4 months! I'm envious, I hope I get to connect with that many people at some point. Love your blog!
    Cheers, xoxo
    Whit

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  15. Great advice. Sometimes I wish I had been a little more anonymous about my blogging, but too late now! I didn't tell anyone I was blogging for a little while either. I was just kind of blogging to myself at first. Luckily, I have put some personal things on my blog and gotten nothing but wonderful comments and support. The blog world really is a great community.

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  16. I've felt I've had to walk the line of what to share and what not to. I try not to give away too much, however blogging is an outlet for me to, so sometimes ya just have to GET IT OUT!!

    The Cheeky Cafe

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  17. thanks so much for your compliment on my photography! i'm loving your blog, i can't wait to look around some more :D

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  18. i sometimes feel like that person too. like i don't know what to blog, or when i know, i get worried whether or not my friends will see it and think of myself differently. but then i think again why did i want to blog on the first place.
    this post also inspires me :)

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  19. " When you have fun things to share, people pump you up with their comments. When people disagree with you, they generally keep their mouth shut. And if they don't respect your ability to express your opinion?
    I consider that to be just plain rude."

    my favorite part of this post. :) i'm glad blogging reconnected us, in a way, even though i'm just getting restarted. my first blog was very much anonymous, for much of the reasons you stated, and I just went by M. keep doing what you do!

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  20. You're really good at this whole advice thing! I'm seeing a column in your future, and I'll say, oh {av}, I knew her when! x

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  21. I was nervous about my post content at first too. Nervous that people would think it was lame, mostly. Like you {AV}, I've not linked it through my Facebook nor have I told my family and have only told close friends.

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  22. most people don't know about my blog either. i feel weird sharing it!

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  23. I didn't start my blog as a way to share information with my family - it was more of an online journal, that other people could happen to read. And I think that beginning has helped shape my blogging ever since.

    I've only recently told my family & friends about my blog (even though I started it in 2008 !!). It's not important to me if they read it or not. And if I think I'm going to blog about something I wouldn't tell them anyway, well, do I really want to blog about it, for the world to see?

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  24. i love days like this when i can have time to go back and read all that i've missed. av, this post is stellar! so on point with what's going on for me in the bloggy realm and appreciate your take on the sitch total!

    not a lot of my friends know about my blog either, it just hasn't come up and also even if i did talk about it i don't know if they'd get it b/c they aren't in this world, know what i mean?

    i LOVE and i mean really, really love the part about "guts", it's so true and you nailed it lades. also that photo of the kitteh boosting the other one up is super cute and really gives a visual to the meaning. excellent subject matter and resolution to the inner challenge. KUDOS!!!! ♥

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