blogging

The #1 Thing I Learned at WordCamp Birmingham 2018

Sometimes I feel out of touch.

I’m constantly hearing people say that blogging is dead, that nobody reads anymore. And I get it. I know that video is hot. I know that according to research by Hubspot 45% of people watch an hour or more of video per day and Google has found that half of 18-34s would stop what they’re doing to watch a new video by their favorite YouTube creator. And let’s not forget about the rise of podcasting. But my weekend at WordCamp Birmingham 2018 showed me that I’m not out of touch at all. The fundamentals of blogging that I’ve been learning, implementing, and sharing over the past decade are the same principles that would help me or any other content creator be successful at video and podcasting.

The #1 lesson I learned at WordCamp Birmingham 2018 is that no matter the medium consistency is key.

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How to Collaborate with Other Bloggers

Step out on faith and collaborate!

Last week I had the opportunity to speak at another Bloggers Night Out event hosted by Magic City Fashion Week. During my talk, I discussed “The Art of Collaboration,” explaining how bloggers can collaborate with one another and why they should.

Writers and bloggers need to collaborate. Period. Sayings like “A rising tide lifts all boats” and “Teamwork makes the dream work” may sound like a cliche to you, but to me, they are my mantras. I believe in the power of community and this belief is why I started See Jane Write in the first place.

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5 Reasons Bloggers Should NOT Attend WordCamp Birmingham 2018

Throwback to the first WordCamp I attended and the t-shirt I got at the conference!

People often ask me why I still bother attending blogging conferences. “You’ve been blogging for a decade,” they say. “Don’t you know what the speakers are going to say before they say it?”

Oftentimes, yes. But not always.

The thing about blogging is it’s always changing. So as a blogger, if you want to keep growing you have to keep learning. And I always learn something new at WordCamp Birmingham.

I was a speaker at last year’s conference but I still attended several sessions, notebook in hand, and I filled the pages of that notebook with blogging strategies for the upcoming year.

This year I’ll be attending WordCamp Birmingham again. WordCamp Birmingham 2018 is set for August 4-5 and will be held at the Pelham Civic Complex. You can learn more and get your tickets at 2018.birmingham.wordcamp.org.

If you’re eager to learn more about blogging in 2018 and beyond you should be there. But if you think you already know it all, you shouldn’t bother and here are five other reasons you should NOT attend…

Continue reading 5 Reasons Bloggers Should NOT Attend WordCamp Birmingham 2018

How to Catch Your Writerpreneur Dreams

Natalie McMyler, founder of Dream Catchers South // Photo Credit: Anna Conn Photography

I am a writer but I also proudly call myself a “writerpreneur,” a woman who wants to use her writing to make an impact and an income. So in addition to reading and working on the craft of writing, I also learn all I can from business-minded people. This is why I attend events like the Dream Catchers South conference, a one-day seminar for female entrepreneurs hosted in Birmingham each spring. Natalie McMyler, the founder of Dream Catchers South, is the owner of the clothing company 11th Thread, which she launched in 2014 because she wanted to be able to stay home with her son and pursue her passion of owning her own business.

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12 Ways to Get Inspired to Write

Being a professional writer means being able to write even when you don’t feel like it. Inspiration is overrated. That said, I know that when we do feel inspired to write what we create is much more, well, inspiring! It’s powerful and authentic and resonates with our readers in a way they can barely put into words. When we write something inspired it moves our readers. It moves us! And it feels like magic.

But here’s the thing, we can’t just sit around waiting for inspiration to hit us. We have to chase after it. Early American author Jack London said it best: “You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.”

Here are 12 ways to get inspired to write:

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