My Blogging Journey And Why I Decided To Share It
You guys may remember but a while back I took a survey and asked you guys what you wanted to read on lifesfinewhine and I got so many amazing responses. Some people suggested that I should write about my blogging journey over the last six years. I thought this was a really great idea and a while back I did a sort of mini throwback post where I used a site to help me see what lifesfinewhine looked like back in the day and how it’s changed over the years and I got a lot of great comments on that and also some asking to elaborate about my journey and talk about the changes I’ve made, how I’ve made them and what inspired me to blog and to continue blogging, etc. It actually turns out people had asked me to write a post about that two years ago as well and I had started to but for some reason never published the post (I probably forgot lol) which I now found when I was cleaning out my drafts section. I wasn’t blogging as regularly back then so I was not posting as often.
But everything happens for a reason and I’m glad I didn’t publish that one because not much had changed two years ago but I have made a lot of upgrades, changes and updates over the last year or so. I have way more to talk about now. So anyway, I’ve decided to write six posts on my blogging journey. Since I began blogging almost exactly six years ago (it will officially be six years in about a month) I thought I would write one post per year talking about my blogging journey during that year as well as what was going on with my life and how it effected my blogging. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy sharing it with you guys and I hope it helps newer bloggers as well because as I mentioned I will definitely be sharing more technical stuff about WordPress too.
2015- Where It All Began
This is kind of the origin story of lifesfinewhine except maybe not quite as exciting…
I always knew I wanted to write- like always. A lot of kids when you ask them what they want to be when they grow up don’t know or will say something like “I want to be a princess” but not me. I was always like “I want to be a vet and also write books.” Obviously both those things worked out perfectly for me since I have written absolutely no books so far and am getting a degree in History (that’s what vets get right??). Anyway, I always knew that when I grew up I wanted to write and by the time I was in my last year of high school I realised that I kept saying I want to write but I hadn’t actually written anything and that was super terrifying for me. As a teenager one of your worst fears is becoming a lame adult who settles for a job they hate and I felt like that’s the path I was on for some reason- obviously I was being super irrational but I was much younger and MUCH stupider back then.
This was also the time when my anxiety and depression were pretty bad and that really did not help. I was struggling with my mental health, being a full time student and just being me in general. I really needed an outlet and I was desperate to write. I tried a bunch of sites but nothing seemed to fit just right and I was getting increasingly frustrated. I felt like I had not achieved how much I had expected to achieve by 18 and it was really eating away at me.
I talked to someone who was a close friend at the time and she suggested that I try out blogging as she was also blogging back then and she was really enjoying it. Therefore, I decided to give it a shot and eventually after ignoring my initial anxiety started looking for names for a blog. I hate to admit this but I just went on Google and used one of those sites that help you create a name for your blog. I looked through a few names and thought lifesfinewhine sounded okay-ish so I decided to “give it a try.”
At this time my blog was supposed to be like my diary where I would rant about stuff and talk about things I find interesting which was mainly anything to do with psychology back then. That’s why I thought lifesfinewhine kind of worked because it had the words “life” and “whine” on it. I think more than anything I knew this would mainly be an outlet for me and I really did not expect it to grow as much as it has now. Yes, I hoped it would grow over time but never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that it would grow this much and this fast.
With a lot of help and guidance from a friend I set up my blog and dealt with all the technicalities. Firstly, I’m awful at technology so I had to learn how to create a blog, write a draft, save the draft, publish the draft and blah blah blah. People think creating a blog is easy but let me tell you it is the furthest thing from easy. It is so difficult and complicated especially if you’re not good with computers/technology.
And so lifesfinewhine was born. This is what it looked like back then- simple, plain and kind of perfect for what I was going for back then. Over time I knew that I wanted to change the look of my blog but back then I really liked this look and thought it was simple but really amazing.
My first post was a serious hassle. I typed it, retyped it, edited it like a million times till I had pretty much retyped it again and then edited it some more. It about what I was learning in my psychology class which was the psychology behind cults. I was so nervous to press publish but I finally hit the publish button, logged out and had massive anxiety for like half an hour. Nothing compares to the feeling you get when you publish your first post and you’re all excited and nervous and scared. I loved it and also simultaneously hated it.
Also nothing compares to the shock you get when you realise there are thousands of bloggers out there and that no one really cares about your posts as much as you do. I know it’s a harsh thing to say but it’s true. WP has one of the most caring, supportive and amazing communities on the Internet which is shocking when you compare it to what other platforms on the Internet are like but it is also very much a two way street which I did not know back then but began picking up on.
So, basically I got very few views, likes and about two comments- one from a friend and one from my sister. I was slightly discouraged but I was still enthusiastic. I think even back then I kind of knew that this was going to become a thing in my life and that blogging was something I needed to stick with. I kept trying my best and published about 40 posts that year. All at random times when I felt like it. Again they did not get many views, likes, comments and shares. I did not get many follows either.
But at the same time blogging started to become more interesting and fun. I started writing poetry again, sharing my inner most thoughts and feelings. It was kind of like therapy but in a way better- mostly because it was free lol… Anyway, over time the blogging anxiety became less and less and the blogging happiness became more and more. By the end of 2015 I was actually much more into the idea of blogging more and perhaps even regularly- like once a week. I was still a full time student but I was using my free time on working on my posts. My friends were super supportive and sweet about it which was really nice. But not surprising because they’re super awesome.
In a way this blog really saved me. More than anything it brought the spark back into my dull, repetitive life. It gave me an outlet, ambition, drive and a new goal- to write again. I will be publishing the next part of this post which will deal with my blogging journey in 2016 next week so stay tuned for that. I know this post is a bit long but I have so many fond memories of this blog and how it all started and I really wanted to share all this with you guys. Also I do have a tendency to ramble… or should I say whine…
You can check out my posts from back in 2015 if you’re interested by clicking here.
Thoughts
I hope you guys enjoyed this slightly longer and more personal blog. Did you relate to some of the things I mentioned in the post? Did you have a similar journey when you first started blogging? What was your blogging journey like? Are you glad you started blogging? If you’ve been blogging for a while now has your blog changed over the years? Did anything about my blogging journey surprise you or stand out to you? Let me know in the comments below I would love to hear your thoughts and about your personal blogging journey!
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I love how personal yet light hearted this post was. I’m so glad you were able to find this platform. Of course I’m going to relate to you in 3,2,1….
I too was suffering badly with my mental health until my friend who already started blogging suggested to me that I try it!
Thank you! Haha of course we have the same story of how we started!!
Oh my god!!
I’m so happy to read it.
I didn’t know that your journey was like my journey.
I’m feeling the same way. But, your blog gave me hope and satisfaction. Yes, I’m enjoying it. And after reading it, I don’t want to stop.
This reminds me of the first time I got a few views after publishing my first blogpost on WordPress. I was also super nervous when I saw readers from outside Nigeria dropping by. WordPress is an excellent choice.
Haha I was so excited when I got views from different countries too!
I love this post! I actually had a similar one! I remmeber, you were my first view from a different country and thanks for supporting my blog, I’ll always be supporting yours because I love it so much! Great post! 😀
Thank you so much and I’m so glad I was your first view from a different country!!
First, I really love this idea for a series and your approach to tell the each year of your blog as a separate post. Second, I totally agree that blogging is one of the most time-consuming and challenging hobbies to have!! People def underestimate the time and education required to truly grow your blog to make it look the way you’d like and to reach people the way you’d like to be reached.
Also, I seriously agree with the way you described the initial rush you get when you publish your first post. And it is so true that when you start blogging, there are these expectations of the engagement that you’ll receive. When in reality, a lot of hard work goes into crafting posts that people will want to interact with!
Excited for the rest of this series! 🙂
Thank you so much!! Yeah I think blogging is one of those things where you don’t know how difficult it is till you try it yourself. And I think the expectations are super high when you start out but then you realise that it’s not that easy to be successful lol!
You are a great writer.
Thank you so much!
So relatable! This was the missing encouragement I needed. LOL!
Thank you so much! Glad it was encouraging!
I loved this! Thank you for sharing or journey with us! You are one inspiring young lady.
Thank you so much! I’m honoured that you think so 😊
It is so interesting to read about how you started your blog and how it has grown. Like you I have always loved writing and known it was something I would do. My sister consistently and kindly reminds me that to be a writer requires only one thing: to write. It is not about earning income (though that will be nice), or about having a many readers as we can (though it’s nice to know people want to read what we write). It is about writing and enjoying the process.
Thank you for writing, and I’m so glad you have found the joy in your writing!
I am almost finished the first draft of my first fantasy book (as I think I’ve mentioned) and it has been an immensely rewarding experience – and I have so many ideas to continue writing!
When I started my blog in 2018 it was an outlet to help me cope with depression, and let people know the different ways I cope. It has helped me find areas of my life where I can improve, and areas of my life I’m doing really well! I intend to share poetry, short stories, Andy match when I set up my website more intentionally to showcase it.
Keep in encouraging others, because you do it really well. Thank you. 🙂
I am so glad you enjoyed the post!
I absolutely agree- your main goal as a writer should be to write and thanks to technology we have so many amazing platforms like WordPress where we can do just that.
It’s so amazing that you’re almost done with your first draft. I’ve always wanted to write a book and I’m sure at some point I will but I always admire someone who goes for it and just writes.
I’m glad you were able to find a place to share your experiences with depression and spread awareness about mental health. I think the more people that talk about it the less stigma and false information there is.
I can really relate to how you started out. Blogging has come to be as effective as some of my therapy sessions have been for me in the past. I’m happy that I also get to meet bloggers like you, Pooja.
I’m glad blogging is therapeutic for you as well and yes meeting new bloggers is a lot of fun!
I only recently started blogging as an outlet during a time where I felt like I was questioning myself a lot, whether that be personally or professionally. It was a way for me to think through everything and as I typed I felt like I was able to structure my thoughts and relieve some of that unknown pressure that I felt hanging over me.
I came across your blog because you were the first ever person to like one of my few posts and there was a sense of pride thinking ‘hey someone has actually seen and maybe found it interesting/useful.’ So I wanted to take this as a chance to say thank you for that.
Whether or not down the line other people will do the same I have no idea, but I do know that I’m enjoying writing. Maybe one day I’ll be able to write my own story the way you have, until then I hope we both can keep having fun as we go.
I’m glad you found blogging as a way to sort out your thoughts and stop questioning yourself so much. I find blogging to be a great way to tap into your unconscious and figure your thoughts out better.
I’m glad I was your first like and I have no doubt you will have many more as your blog grows over time. I still remember the first person who liked my post and I truly appreciated it.
Sent u an email
I first learned about blogging when it started and was reported in either Newsweek or Time. don’t remember which one now. Because it was the flavor of the month I naturally wanted to try it out much the same as when YouTube started as UTube before they got sued over the name. LOL. In those days it was kind of unsophisticated compared to what happens on social media these days but it was more for the enjoyment of it than seeing how many people you could herd into a followers list. One by one the original platforms like Yahoo360 and Multiply went belly up and that’s how I gravitated to WordPress. Now for me it’s kind of interesting to interact with published authors or aspiring ones and in the process hone skills along the way I didn’t have when I started. I enjoyed this blog about your blogging journey. 🙂
Thank you so much and I enjoyed learning more about your blogging journey too!
Thank you so much for sharing. I really dig your post! It seems like your blog is a very authentic extension of yourself and that’s a very beautiful thing. I have been writing all of my life, but I can hardly think of anything that I have ever shared publicly until I created my blog space. Honestly, I am trying to do is tell my story and help someone along the way. We’ll see where it takes me. Be blessed in every post your craft…JD
Thank you so much that’s so nice of you to say! I wish you the best with your own blogging journey!
WOW 6 years!! i really like your blog because of your passion i guess i can sense it just from visiting- i want to be like that NOW but im so disappointed in views likes etc.. im very impatient when it comes to this stuff so now im kinda neglecting all of this. I shouldn’t because i believe everyone should have their own website. it’s like a great online business card.
thanks for sharing its really motivating to me… i need to work on this more <3
Thank you! I’m like you- I like instant results which is why I’m shocked that I was so patient with blogging. I’m so glad this motivated you and definitely don’t give up- it takes a while but it’s so worth it!
Gud post
Loved it 💜😊
Thanks!
I can relate to every single word you’ve written here. The big difference here is I am that “lame adult who settles for a job they hate”. Currently I’m in a constant battle with my mind to understand what I really want in life. Blogging is helping me in more ways than one. I really wish to become the happy go lucky person I was as a child. Hope I can chose the correct path soon. Absolutely loved reading this post.
Thanks and I am so sorry you’re stuck in that position- I’m sure it’s difficult for you. I truly hope you are able to find what you are looking for and switch to a career that you actually enjoy.
I saved this post on the day you published it because I was super busy to read it now I’m catching up. Just like you, I have anxiety and unfortunately, it got in the way when I first created my blog in 2014 too…I was just 14 and still in school but I was desperate to share my deepest, inner thoughts with someone and I didn’t my friends were ready for that kind of thing yet😅.
So, during one of our holidays when I was home, I used my dad’s computer to look up online dairies. I had a dairy of mine then but c’mon, talking to myself wasn’t enough😐. Anyway, something about blogs? popped up and the rest was history. I didn’t know what I was doing but man, I was excited. I even created two blogs that day. One on wordpress and one on blogger. I didn’t use the blogger one immediately though as it seemed there were no posts to read on my profile. My wordpress profile had posts so I began reading and also looking up topics I was interested in, one being music and stories.
It didn’t take time for me to publish my first post and it was about Michael Jackson, I love him so much. Anyway, the more I wrote the more aware I became and my anxiety eventually took over and I deleted the blog in 2016 after I graduated secondary school. I was scared someone I knew would find out about it.
Ahhh, I’m rambling too much but it’s so fun to look back and see the changes. I haven’t been very active and I don’t even know what I’m doing most of the time but I’m thankful for the little changes so far.
My current blog is my third attempt at trying and I’ve stayed longer than I did in the past and this is because of the amazing people I’ve been following and reading their posts and you’re just one more person I didn’t think I needed. Thanks for sharing and being inspiring.
Unto the next journey 🏃🏾.
Thank you so much! Yeah this post is a bit longer than my usual since I need to fit one years worth of stuff into one post so you definitely need a bit of time to read all of it. I totally understand your anxiety with wanting to share stuff. I was much more private and closed off in my earlier posts and rarely shared personal details. But the more I opened up the better I felt so now I try to be as honest as possible. Thanks so much for sharing your journey and I’m glad you didn’t give up on blogging because it’s awesome meeting you and reading your posts!
Found this really encouraging as a young person starting blogging🙂 Thankyou for sharing
So glad to hear that and best of luck in your blogging journey!
Hi… Actually i am also starring blogging this 15 August 2020.. i also no idea about blog.. just i feel i put on word press….. But actually i enjoy to written more….
I’m so glad you are enjoying blogging/writing!
🙂……
Reblogged this on Lifesfinewhine.
It’s sooo nice to hear about your journey! Your humble beginning is very relatable and how much you have grown over the years is highly commendable! It didn’t happen easily. You deserve all what you have and more. Thanks for sharing your beautiful journey. I’ve always wanted to know about the journey of accomplished long time bloggers like yourself.
It’s sooo nice to hear about your journey! Your humble beginning is very relatable and how much you have grown over the years is highly commendable! It didn’t happen easily. You deserve all what you have and more. Thanks for sharing your beautiful journey. I’ve always wanted to know about the journey of accomplished long time bloggers like yourself.
you’ve had quite the journey!
Yup it’s been an interesting one!
I am sure hte future will be even moreso!
You write so effortlessly. It almost feels like we are having a normal one on one conversation while reading your blogs. I’m so glad I came across your blog..keep up the good work!
😮🥺
Thanks for sharing this Pooja!
I’m glad to read it.
I’m speechless
My pleasure, it was fun going down memory lane 😊
I’ve saved other parts.
I find it very relatable.
I can learn a lot from here.
Interesting! You’ve had a long blogging journey, that’s awesome.
And this passage: “I was so nervous to press publish but I finally hit the publish button, logged out and had massive anxiety for like half an hour. Nothing compares to the feeling you get when you publish your first post and you’re all excited and nervous and scared. I loved it and also simultaneously hated it.”
You are not alone! I feel this every time I post, crazy!
Thanks so much!
Yes, that feeling of hitting the publish button is just so crazy. You feel everything all at once. But in a good way!
🥰 you’re most welcome!