Busting the Newbie Blues

Busting the Newbie Blues is an event hosted by Small Review. Basically, you fill out a questionnaire and hopefully bring attention to yourself as a newbie blogger. Plus, you get to find other awesome newbie bloggers as well! Even established bloggers can participate, so go check it out! :)

When did you start your blog?

I started my blog at the very end of September last year. :) 

Why did you start your blog?

Well, none of my friends or family like to read, so I have no one to talk to about books! After finding great blogs like the Story Siren, I became inspired to create my own, because I felt like it'd be a great way to share my thoughts with others. Before that, I didn't even know that book blogs existed. 

What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far? 

Definitely getting views and comments consistently. I do get comments occasionally on my posts, but I don't get comments and views on every post that I write. 

What do you find most discouraging about being a new blogger?

Sometimes I feel like I'm invisible, as cliche as that sounds. There are days when I feel like no one reads my posts, but I think I'm just too down on myself because I envy all the older bloggers who get like 40 comments per post. >:) 

I also find my number of posts discouraging. I don't understand how bloggers are able to consistently post every day. As it is, I have trouble reading one book within a week because of my busy schedule.

What do you find most encouraging? 

Definitely the whole book reading community. :) I just see everyone acting so nice and friendly to each other; it's great to see everybody united by their common love for reading! I'd love to get more involved in the community, but I'm rather timid, even on the internet.

Also, every little comment or view I get encourages me to keep blogging, because then I realize that at least someone is looking at it.

What do you like best about the blogs you read? Have you tried to replicate this in your blog? 

I like it when you can really tell that the blogger loves the book in their review. There are some people that just put so much emotion into their review. I've been trying to be more creative with my own reviews, so they don't sound bland or boring. I'm not too sure it's working, though. \: As I said, I'm kind of a timid person, so even writing my own opinion on this blog is challenging. I'm hoping that, through blogging, I will open up and be more friendly. :)

What do you dislike about blogs you’ve read? Do you try to avoid this? 

Hmmm.. I dislike it when blogs post reviews that are only a paragraph long. I feel like if you're going to review a book, then you might as well put more effort into it. Then again, I'm not going to tell people how to run their blogs. I myself try to post at least a few paragraphs when reviewing.

I also dislike overly complicated blogs. I haven't seen too many of these, but when your blog is hard to navigate or my screen is crowded with a bunch of things, then I probably won't read your blog. I like to keep things simple!

Any advice for other new bloggers? 

I would just say to never give up! I know that people are always telling each other that, but it's true. :) Even if you aren't getting a lot of views/comments right now, your blog will grow in time. It will just take some dedication and hard work, though. Plus, if you love doing it, then why should it matter how many people are visiting your blog? Do it because you enjoy it! :)

Any questions you'd like to ask newbie or established bloggers?

I don't have any questions in particular, but any tips - especially networking tips - would be appreciated. :)

Also, I'd like to know how you use Twitter to network yourself. I always see a bunch of bloggers claiming it's an amazing tool, but I haven't figured it out for myself yet.

Is there anything you’d like to tell us about your blog? Feel free to link a few of your favorite posts or posts you wish had more comments. 

I like hearing other peoples' thoughts, so if you comment on a review, be sure to let me know what you are thinking about the book! Also, if you leave a comment on one of my posts, I'd be more than happy to comment on one of yours!