After Page One: Blogging
A guest post to motivate, encourage, and inspire
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The Best Mother’s Day Gift
I have always found writing to be cathartic. I wrote when I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. I wrote when each of my parents died. I wrote when my beloved granddaughter passed away.
My children have always been the greatest fans of my writing, and my youngest sons (twins) decided that it was time to share my writing with the world. As a surprise Mothers’ Day gift last year, they created a beautiful blog bearing my name — a gift that has changed my life in a most profound manner.
I knew absolutely nothing about blogging and had to learn from scratch. My twins, who are pretty computer-savvy, guided me with the utmost patience and understanding; there was a lot to learn. Given my age (67) I am proud to say that I have learned how to post an essay on my site, I have become familiar with blogging jargon, and I have a working knowledge of search engine optimization — a phrase totally new to me eight months ago. (It is a strategy that helps potential readers to find information about specific topics, and—to my utter amazement—it works!) My essays have been read by thousands of people across the globe! A whole new world has opened up!
Having my own blog has motivated me in so many ways. By far the most profound impact has been my desire to write. I have become passionate about writing and find it hard to pull myself away. I have written and posted over 20 essays, some of which were accepted as guest posts (another term that was new to me). I have also begun to explore humor as a vehicle of expression. I had not known that I had the capacity to be funny. Clearly, there are many benefits of blogging, and I’m only just beginning.
Although it was my twins who created the blog and helped me to learn, all my children are proud of what their senior mom has accomplished – and that is a wonderful feeling for me. As 2014 begins, I reflect on how fortunate I am to have children whose belief in me has enabled me—at the age of 67—to embark on what almost feels like a second career and to jump out of bed in the morning, excited to begin the day.
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Join our After Page One series. We’re looking for 300 to 500-word guest posts that motivate, inspire, and encourage other mama-writers, and we’d love to feature YOUR thoughts about getting started, getting back to a writing project, integrating writing with motherhood, reading, or having a positive attitude. The list is endless, but here are some questions that might help you get started. We’ll publish a short bio so readers can learn more about you and your projects.