I'm An Amateur: Give Me Some Feedback

Photo by Jack Hamilton on Unsplash

Question for you: What is one thing for you that I’ve written recently that’s stood out to you? Does anything you’ve read recently feel out of place? Any other feedback? Please share it!
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Well, that was a fail. I don’t quite know what it is that I’m doing with my blog, in case you haven’t noticed. But I’m committed.

This morning, I discovered that I had been sharing on Facebook the mobile links for the last 15 or so blog posts. What does that mean? This means that the last 15 or so blog posts shared on Facebook would look okay, formatting-wise, on your mobile device, but would look awful when pulling up on a desktop. I did not spot this until today. I had not checked.

I’m an amateur. I don’t know what it is that I’m doing. But I’m committed. And I hope this commitment makes up for what I lack in knowledge or skill. (This is the story of my life.)

Flash forward a few years down the line, and I’m curious as to how I’ll feel about this my blog. Will it scream out amateur? Will I feel embarrassed or ashamed about anything I’ve shared or the way I presented it? Will I cringe in disgust? Or will I be satisfied with what I accomplished, at the time, and the time and effort I put into it all? I’m planting seeds today that I hope to grow into something greater tomorrow...

What it is that I’m working towards and how will I get there? I don’t have much guidance. Here and there, a friend has piped up with feedback. But, beyond this, I’m scrambling in the dark to make sense of what it is that I’m doing. The monster that I’m creating. Be it a monster... or something more pleasant... I’m not quite sure...

Photo by Mark Fletcher-Brown on Unsplash

First and foremost, I aim to become a better writer. So I’m striving for honesty and consistent writing. It is my thought that honest writing is good writing and that practice makes perfect. I do not need to play a part. I must just remain true to myself... and the words will flow right through me in a way that will both make sense to myself and those who read them.

My grammar is far from flawless. Commas get the better of me. I don’t have an editor looking over my shoulder telling me what to do... helping me to cut out words that are redundant or remove tangents that don’t belong. There’s also no one curating the content I’m producing. All I have is myself and my instincts.

My knowledge of HTML is limited. So I stick with Blogspot’s standard templates. I’m not a photographer. Nor do I have the means to hire a photographer. So I must seek out relevant photos on stock photo websites to accompany my posts. The pineapple image at the top of my blog is something I stole on the web a while back, created by someone else I’m not familiar with, so I cannot credit them, but I have not had the heart to replace it just yet. But I know that will need to happen eventually.

When I look at the stats on my blog, I’m not even sure how to read them. How many of the page views are actually just me checking up on my blog? How many are unique visitors versus the same visitor visiting multiple times? I’ve started sharing screenshots of my most recent blog posts in my Instagram story and a link to them in my bio in hopes that I can grow my audience. But I’m not sure if I’m doing this “correctly”, if there is a better way, or if this is becoming too spammy.

I don’t know what it is that I’m doing. But I’m determined to keep it up, at least for now. In the meantime, if you have any feedback, please do offer it to me. Give a look around my blog and report back. Has anything I’ve written recently resonated with you? Does anything feel out of place? Anything you’d like to hear more of?

I’m especially interested in hearing from you if you’re a writer yourself or if you have been reading from the beginning until now and can attest to how my blog is evolving. But I’d love to hear from anyone. Speak up!!! Help an amateur blogger out.

Originally written 4/17/19