Blogging Made Me Anxious, but Now I'm Proud!

Dear Readers,

Yesterday I launched my second ever Funny Family Friday Linky and I hope it is as successful as the first.  I got two link ups this week, but I was just pleased to get the whole 'linky thing' up and running correctly.  I was writing for a particular niche of people, which means you are limited as to who links up and it was the first linky I had hosted.  Two people/blogs linked up to mine and this is truly two more than I expected and it was really successful in viewings - my highest ratings on a particular post.

I hope that week 2 is just as successful and hopefully, maybe three people/blog will link up, and maybe the people who viewed the last will come and read again - they might even think I am interesting (or strange - either could be true, but certainly worth a read)!

OK, so that was me being positive!  When my first linky went live last week, I was like slab of jelly - I had a wobble!  It happens to the best of us.  I felt sick, my stomach was in knots, and I had to contact a fellow blogger to check my linky - and the Inlinkz link wasn't working properly.  A
fter some coaching from my fellow blogger, who also calmed me down - I was live... and I felt even worse.

What if someone doesn't like my post? Doesn't find it funny? Doesn't think I'm a good Mum? What if I'm personally attacked by a troll? Oh, yes, I wanted to delete the darn linky that I had worked hard to host, for a good few days.

Then I had a word with myself...

Why was I being so silly?

Well, this is the honest truth.  I have publications, I have a good viewing rating, I get asked to write articles and guest posts for others, but I wobble - well maybe it's not me directly, my confidence wobbles.  My whole life, I have wanted to write and now, I'm writing every day and building a publication portfolio and I still cringe if I have to say 'I am a Writer'.  In theory, I am a writer. I have articles, stories, blog posts, training material, posters and leaflets, all in print, and then I have this blog.  There is no shying away I'm a bloody writer!

You see, I don't just want to be a writer, I want to be a good writer, or the best writer - to just be a writer isn't enough for me - but again, why?

I spoke to a very good friend of mine, which amongst a lot of other harsh words, told me 'Who cares if someone doesn't like your post, or they don't find it funny? If you get a troll, delete the troll's comments, who cares what someone thinks who doesn't know you?' and guess what - they were right!
I thought about why I write this blog, and with the utmost respect for my readers' I write for me!

I thought about the things I write, and yes, I do and can write for others, but when writing on this blog, I write for me.  Blogging has introduced to a whole network of lovely people, it gives me the opportunity to talk about whatever I want to talk about, and it's helping me to learn about HTML, analytics, and most of all it gives me confidence in my writing.

The good thing about having a personal blog is that you don't need high expectations - it is what it is!  You control your own fate here, and if you want to make money you can, if you want to include your readers by having link-ups or guest bloggers then you can.  It's entirely up to you!

This blog is Rambles, Rants and Writings - and it's mine, my ramble, my rant, my writing (mainly).  Today, I had a ramble, yesterday I wrote a funny family story, tomorrow, I might have a rant but I know that I'm not going to be anxious about my blogging any more.

My linky worked first time this week - Inlinkz was all loaded and I felt more prepared than last week.
Why should I be anxious when I just learned how to host my own linky, and I was self-taught (minus a little coaching from one's friend)?

Blogging is a learning curve, it's a breath of fresh air, and it's an experience.  It's a great way to meet new people and gain new skills in the process.  I'm proud to be part of a blogging network!

Laters, Janet