I began blogging in May 2006. That is, I set up a blog via Blogspot. It was fairly simple. I was writing a lot of poetry at the time (most of it rhymed) and felt I had a duty to share my prose with the world. (And I sincerely hope that by the time you’re reading this I will have removed that early poetry from my site - otherwise you’ll have excellent blackmail material.)

I posted my poetry for a few months and was extremely encouraged to be receiving so many comments - entirely from family, of course.

There were several years during which I posted absolutely nothing at all and my blog occupied a small piece of cyberspace collecting dust. And occasionally I’d come back to it and get all fired up again only to write 3 or 4 posts and then neglect it once more.

At this point, I was beginning to run out of poetry. I wanted to write…something else. I wasn’t entirely sure what that ‘something else’ might be.

Middle school. I transferred schools and entered 7th grade as the newbie. Luckily, I made a group of friends who shared my love of reading and writing and rekindled my passion for blogging. I wrote my first complete novel in the 7th grade, and my dad helped edit it and we self-published it together. After I’d written books 2 and 3, the books which completed my fantasy trilogy, my blog had become a platform to market myself.

Nevertheless, I still wasn’t serious about blogging. I had all the typical doubts - what do I have to say that hasn’t already been said? Who am I to write about becoming a better writer? I’m certainly not an expert. Nobody’s reading my blog.

And with that attitude, I certainly wasn’t going anywhere. It’s a rut we all fall into. Even the best, most popular and widely read bloggers continue to be plagued by these same doubts.

I enjoyed changing the look of my blog more than I enjoyed blogging. I enjoyed reading other blogs more than I enjoyed writing for my own.

And yet I still had this desire to do something with it - to figure out what I was missing so I could break through the barriers and become the best blogger I could be.

Senior year of high school. I’d been blogging more consistently for the past six months or so. I was participating in a monthly blog chain hosted by a blog I admired - Teens Can Write, Too. And without realizing it, I was already beginning to grasp several of the key aspects of blogging. I’ll give you a hint: it’s about community, and building relationships.

I became part of my school’s externship program - a class of senior students who extern with local businesses or law firms or at the hospital to gain real-world experience and to figure out what they’d like to study in college. I chose to work with my dad, a small-business owner who works from home. He’s a web developer. My teacher agreed it would be beneficial for me to work on my blog - to learn from my dad and to research successful sites. This time, I didn’t have an excuse to slack off. My blog had basically become a grade.

And I had people holding me accountable.

It was a period of great growth.

And so over the past year I’ve put in a lot of hours…I’ve learned so much and I’d like to share what I’ve learned. A couple of months ago I was asked to consult on someone else’s site. Until then, I hadn’t even realized I’d amassed a wealth of knowledge that could benefit others.

I just want you to know - whether you’re nervous about starting a blog or frustrated because you can’t get your blog off the ground, I’ve been there, too. My goal: to encourage you on this journey.