My Writing Process - Belle Brita

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I’m so excited! Less than two months into my blog, Krissy at Sneakers and Sequins (GREAT blog name!) nominated me to share my writing process. Recognition this early in my blogging journey is so humbling. MERCI BEAUCOUP, Krissy!

Writing Process Rules

Acknowledge the blogger/blog that invited you to the Tour.
Answer some questions about your blogging process.
Choose 3 bloggers to plug, give a short bio of their blogs, and link to their sites.

Writing Process Questions

What am I working on?

In life? I’m working on:

Reading books, more often with more diversity
Being a good wife to Dan and a good daughter to my parents
Turning our rental house into a comfortable albeit temporary home
Changing the world

On my blog? I’m working on:

Promoting my blog daily by sharing on social media, joining link-ups, and effectively commenting on other blogs
Planning posts in advance
Blogging at least twice a week
Balancing all the topics that interest me

How does my work differ from others of its type/genre?

My diverse group of topics mean I can really only be described as a “lifestyle blogger.” I write about life in Findlay, my faith, feminism, fashion, France, and (eventually) a few dozen more topics. The fact that I’m a feminist lifestyle blogger is why I stand out from other lifestyle bloggers. And being a Christian feminist libertarian blogger differentiates me from other Christian feminist writers.

Why do I write what I do?

I’ve always loved writing. I started my first livejournal blog a few months shy of my 17th birthday. I technically still maintain it, even if I only post a few times a year. I’ve had a few other intermittent blogs on a variety of platforms. I finally started this blog when several events happened about the same time. My first column at Enchanted Magazine will be published at the end of this month, and I wanted to have an established online presence for interested readers. My mom asked me for help starting her own blog, and I wanted to know WordPress well enough to help her. Several people asked me if had a blog after appreciating my feminist posts and commentary on Facebook. So all of that is why I write.

But why do I write what I write? Like most people, I have many passions in life. I love God, my husband, my family, my friends, France, books, and more. I like talking about my passions. Writing is a passion, so I also like writing about my passions. And I do truly want to change the world. If my blog can teach just one sexist person to treat women as equals, or inspire just one student to live abroad, or convince just one voter to vote third-party, or help just one person find God, then I’ve made a difference in the world.

How does my writing process work?

I keep an imperfect editorial calendar with potential topics scheduled for tentative dates. After work and on the weekends, I pull up my editorial calender and check it. I confirm that the next immediate post that should go up is already written, if possible. For example, I’m writing this on August 22, 2014. The next post on my calendar is about Cedar Point, but I can’t write about that until after Dan and I go. My next topic is a writing prompt, with my own notation next to it. Room with a View (Niort).

To write that post, I went through all my old pictures from Niort, France. Then I just started writing. The post took an unexpected turn for the better. While writing, I also edit pictures using PicMonkey, which is seriously an awesome program for simple edits, sweet photo effects, and kickass graphics. Choosing where they go helps with the writing process. Finding the right place for a photo helps me figure out where to transition my writing. If I’m planning in advance, I also ask Dan to look over my blog post after I’m done. Sometimes I’m writing the night before, though, and he’s already asleep!