Blogging for fun

Just to set the record straight, blogging is my therapy and I make no money from my blog. If there are ad’s at the end of my posts, WordPress put them there. The great thing about blogging is that you are self publishing. Your content is not driven by your publisher and your story angle is what you want it to be – you have total control. I work a full-time demanding job, and write for fun in my free time.

My blog is my own personal travel journal that I make available to the world, just in case anyone is interested. If no one reads what I write, that’s OK. I write as a way to balance my crazy busy life. I have a sense of peace when I write a story about my travel adventures, and enjoy accessorizing the story with photos.

The photos for this post are flowers around my neighborhood I took while getting used to my new (used) camera – and are straight from the camera without editing. I have a Canon SX110 is point and shoot.

I’ve read some funny, interesting, and informational blog posts in the past, and have been inspired to start my own. As I do with any new passion or adventure, I try to learn as much as I can up front, so I signed up for the University of California San Diego Extension class The Art and Business of Blogging, taught by Colleen Lanin, who created the blog Travel Mamas. Her blog is one of the top 25 travel blogs based on its views so why not learn from one the best.

The class was well worth the money. I looked forward to going each week to learn the mechanics of starting a WordPress blog, but also the interaction from the other bloggers was valuable. Colleen knows what she is doing and is willing to share her expertise, lucky for me and my classmates. Part of the homework was to read classmates blog posts and provide useful positive reviews. By the end of the six-week class we were to have a name, a theme, About Me page created, and three blog posts. By the end of the second week, I had all this done and was on a roll, obsessively realizing I love blogging.

I don’t have as much time as I would like to write or travel, as my weekends and evenings are work, spending time with family and friends, cooking dinner, cleaning house, taking care of my dog Bella, paying bills, and writing a script for an independent film that my son, an aspiring new actor, will star in. It’s great to have a lot of interests, but it’s not easy to balance a lot of interests. Let’s just say I am never bored.

So if anyone is actually reading this blog post, it makes me happy to know you are interested in what I have to share. Leave a comment about what you do for your “therapy”, or what inspired you to start your blog, or even how you like to spend your free time. I’ll read it and reply to you.