I’m not exaggerating when I say that blogging has changed my life.
Last year this time I was in a mood because — once again — I was spending nearly every hour of my Thanksgiving break grading papers.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved being a high school English instructor because I loved teaching, my students were fantastic, and my colleagues were some of my closest friends. But I HATED grading papers. And early American literature — the subject I taught for 10 years — was not truly my passion.
Writing is my passion. Helping other women who want to write is my passion. Telling people’s stories is my passion. And now I get to pursue my passions full-time and I have blogging to thank for it.
Because I started a blog and built a community around that blog, I’ve been able to turn my blog into a brand and a business.
Even though I have two journalism degrees and nearly 20 years of experience in the field, it’s been my blog that’s helped me land most of my paid writing gigs.
My blog and my brand have helped me get paid to speak at writing workshops, blogging conferences and corporate events, too.
I’ve used my blog to build a brand and a business that allowed me to quit my job as a high school English teacher to be a full-time writerpreneur — as I like to call myself.
But I can’t give blogging all of the credit. I also need to thank you.
I don’t have a HUGE following, but I do have a fiercely loyal community and that’s been enough to help me blog and write my way to the life of my dreams.
When I share a blog post, you read it. When I send an email, you open it. When I launch a course, you buy it. When I host an event — whether virtual or IRL — you show up.
You talk about See Jane Write to people you know, so when event organizers are looking for someone to talk about blogging they think of me, despite the fact that I’m no Instagram influencer.
To top it all off, you’re so much fun to be around! Whether we’re chatting virtually during a webinar or Facebook Live, or hanging out in Birmingham, you bring an energy and enthusiasm that are so appreciated.
I don’t consider the See Jane Write community my “followers.” I think of you as my friends.
I’m not exaggerating when I say blogging has changed my life. And I’m not exaggerating when I say YOU have changed my life.
Thank you.
If you want to learn how to build a blog and brand of your own, check out my new course See Jane Blog. Part memoir, part manual, See Jane Blog shares my blogging journey and everything I’ve learned along the way. Now through Friday, November 29 you can get 50% off the course when you use the code BLKFRI.