21 Days of pure joy in Bearblog (question challenge)
I’ve been writing here for less than a month, but I’ve written quite a bit in that time. So far, I’m having a blast, and it’s been a very positive experience, thanks in part to the Discover feed and its awesome community. I haven’t had the chance to reach out to any bloggers yet, but I’ve read A LOT of blogs and entries from all over Bearblog.
It’s been incredibly inspiring to read the opinions and personal experiences of others, even if they are (still) strangers to me. I find it very interesting how this feels more human and genuine than any interaction I have had on social media. Weird, but also true. Maybe it’s because many of us here are writing anonymously, whereas, on social media, we tend to be more cautious about what we share.
That said, I decided today was a good day to take on the Bearblog questions challenge, first published (and basically invented) by Ava.
At first, I was skeptical about doing this, but I think this is a fun way to talk more about this blog and reflect on what I want to achieve with this, my little corner on the cool part of the internet.
Why did you make the blog in the first place?
I love writing, so having a blog is a fun way to challenge my creativity. I wanted to start writing daily, and a blog turned out to be the perfect tool for tracking my progress. It’s also a personal space where I can shout to the world whatever is ruminating in my head at any given moment. It serves as both my scream pillow and a safe space to catch ideas.
Why did you choose Bearblog?
Before I started writing here, I had a blog on a domain I set up through WordPress. That blog quickly turned into a boring attempt to make a brand of myself. The time I spent on the dashboard setting up a shitload of things that wasn't important for my writing was absurd. I was more worried about SEO, meta descriptions, and tags than on actually thinking about and writing my posts.
Then, in a desperate attempt to find a community, I came across Bearblog on Reddit (specifically through the original post made by Herman). That same day I immersed myself for hours reading and discovering the blogs of the community. One that I enjoyed a lot was yours, Tiramisu, which, in fact, inspired me to start blogging right away.
In a nutshell, the main reason I chose Bearblog was its community and simplicity. The philosophy about words being the main thing in this platform helps me write more often. It feels like the solid color of the webpage is a canvas, and the letters are the strokes you use to create something deeply personal and beautiful.
Have you blogged on other platforms before?
Yes, I started blogging back in 2008 when WordPress was actually a platform focused on its community. I had a lot of blogs until 2015 when I started using Twitter daily and forgot about long-format blogging. Then I abandoned Twitter in 2017 and started using Medium, but it was overwhelming. This blog is my first blog in almost six years.
Do you write your posts directly in the editor or in another software?
When I write in Spanish I do it directly in the Bearblog editor, but when I write in English I write in Grammarly, just to make sure I'm not making any major mistakes. Sometimes I revise my posts with ChatGPT in search of grammatical errors and correctness mistakes, it has helped me a lot to improve my English writing. However, I've never used AI to write for me, and never will.
When do you feel most inspired to write?
In the evenings. Usually, I write when I'm ready to go to sleep. However, I have a lot of moments of inspiration when I take stand-up breaks during working hours. It’s during those pauses that the ideas I’ll write about later in the evening come to me.
Do you publish immediately after writing or do you let it simmer a bit as a draft?
I’m currently working on completing a 100-day writing challenge, so both the idea and the writing for each post happen in a single day. Once I finish this challenge, I might work on more ambitious posts, so those may need a little simmer before being published.
Your favorite post on your blog?
So far I can say I love Overcoming the fear of creating (and just starting to make bad art) and Tener un blog personal es abrirle la puerta al mundo equally. Those two are the ones that made me feel more fulfilled when writing them. If you happen to understand English and Spanish you are in for a ride. If not, you can always use your web browser to translate them. Hope you like those as much as I do.
Any future plans for your blog?
One thing I want to add urgently is a guestbook. I really want to connect with other writers and start creating a community. Maybe even start writing to a pen pal. I think a guestbook is a great tool to have a first interaction. Also, I think it would be nice to know if someone enjoys what I write, or if some of my words have helped them somehow.
As for the design, I want to make this more personal, but I need to take a deep dive into CSS. it's gonna take some time but I'm willing to commit to this. Oh, I almost forgot, I'm planning to upgrade so I can post pictures more easily. I love photography so maybe I'll start doing photo-oriented posts? We'll see.
I'm also working on a Now page and a Blogroll. Those two will come sooner.
And that's it. I'm glad I wrote this cause it served as a lore drop post to give more context to this awesome space I'm creating. Writing has saved my life before and has always been food for my soul, and I'm grateful to have the opportunity to express myself.
🖊️ Remember your words are important to someone, somewhere. Thanks for reading.