What I’m Working On:Tour Through Blogland

Y’all might have seen the “Tour Through Blogland” posts appearing on blogs lately. I really love posts like these because it gives me a chance to get to know bloggers more, and I am really interested in how bloggers write their posts. Cat at Oddly Lovely tagged me to share my writing process and what I’m working on right now. (This girl is fantastic. I look forward to reading her blog every day because her posts are so interesting and genuine. Check her out!) 

My blogging process involves my dog wanting to play while I write.

What are you working on right now?

I am constantly thinking of post ideas. When I think of an idea, I always write it down on a sticky note. I try to transfer those sticky notes to my master list, but that doesn’t always happen so I have sticky notes all over the place.

I plan my posts for the following week on Sundays. I try to write as many of posts as possible on Sunday, but most weeks I only get Monday’s post done. Currently, I am working on finally finishing my fall foliage cruise recaps (one more port left!), various Europe travel posts, personal posts about residency and the future, and a few I’m nervous about posting that focus on some of my struggles. I have also been toying with trying out a few fashion posts—I love dresses so I think it would be fun to share some outfits.

Some items on my to-do list for my blog this month are:

*Work on my tabs. I hate that I have been blogging for three months, and my tabs still aren’t complete. I need to write the “love” tab and design the “travel” tab.  

*Use Instagram and Twitter more. Since I haven’t told most of my friends and family about my blog, I have separate blog Twitter and Instagram accounts so I am still adjusting to posting on my blog accounts. I am hoping this will become easier as I delve further into blogging.

*Schedule an entire week of posts. I am going on vacation at the end of this month, and I want to have my posts ready weeks in advance so I am not scrambling right before I leave.

Some items on my to-do list outside of the blog:

*Help Chris with booking the rest of the hotels and flights for his interviews. We are both so ready for interview season to be over. I know February will be here before we know it though, and then we start the difficult process of ranking the programs (more on that later).

*Plan my dresses for my work holiday party, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and formal nights on the cruise. I love dressing up, and I am so excited that I have so many excuses to do it this month!

*Decorate for Christmas! We put up our tree last night, but we haven’t decorated it yet. Decorating with my hubby is definitely one of the highlights of my December.

How does your work differ from others in its genre?

Once upon a time I had a travel blog where I shared my travel tips, but I didn’t want to make it personal, and it really lacked my voice. Travel is my passion so I knew that I couldn’t write a blog without including travel, but this time I wanted it to be more than that. I wouldn’t say my blog is unique, but I work hard at sharing my passions and being as transparent as possible.

Why do you write/create what you do?

I have always been a writer. When I am struggling with anxiety, it is my favorite way to relieve stress. Now that I am a professional editor, I needed an outlet to keep writing. Blogging has been perfect for me, and I have completely fallen in love with it.

How does your writing/creative process work?

When I know I am going to be writing a specific post, I spend a lot of time thinking about it (while I am doing other things) before I am willing to open up a text document. Once I am ready to write, it usually doesn’t take me long to get a first draft done (then I have to edit it, of course). I try to get my posts written on Sundays, but honestly, I write better when I am under a deadline so I end up writing the majority of my posts the night before I post them.

I always finish writing before I edit photos and design the header. At that point, I know how many photos I need and what I want them to look like.

Next blog stops:

One of my favorite things about blogging is the community. These ladies have welcomed me warmly into the blogging community, and I love reading their blogs. I am tagging them so they can also share their writing processes if they're interested.

*Kristen at See You In a Porridge

*Biana at B Loved Boston

*Casey at We Took the Road Less Traveled