Lately I’ve been thinking about sharing how my posts come together. I’ve touched on this topic before but it was quite some time ago. Since then the way I do things has changed quite a bit.
That’s the beauty of learning and adapting. I try to keep up with the latest apps and tools that will enhance my publications. I have now incorporated quite a few of those into my process but still holding on to the ones I really love.
My goal when writing posts is always to improve and to do better than even the one before. I know in a sense this might not actually be happening...my current posts may not always be better than my last. However, reaching for that goal is what keeps me in check with quality.
As an author, if I tell myself make this even more entertaining, do something even more fun with the photos, change up this and that a little, it keeps me striving to be the best of me.
Challenging myself surprises me in the end when I see the results. I’m like
wow, I’m so glad I tried that.
This then motivates me even more to think outside the box and even sometimes getting out of my comfort zone.
I noticed over the years the more that I wrote and published my signature style became clear. Even though my style of writing tends to stay the same, I try to find ways to switch it up and add a little diversity here and there. To me change is good in this way as it remains fun for me to challenge myself and entertaining for my readers :)
Let’s start with...
What Inspires My Posts
My family calls me ‘Tнє Wαℓкιηg Bℓσg’. 😄
I can be sitting on the couch, cooking dinner, out on a walk, driving in the car or doing housework when my inspiration comes.
It could even be something someone says that sparks an idea.
When those ideas come I put them in my notes (on my iPhone) and quickly jot down a few words to help me remember what to touch on in that post.
Depending on where I am and if I have the time I even write down the sections of that post if it all comes to me in that moment. This has happened several times where I already see the vision of how that post will look from beginning to end.
It’s kind of funny hearing myself think. I am literally speaking the post in my head and all the things I will be writing about in it. From quotes, to questions I ask my readers, headings, photo layout and even the different fonts I would like to play around with.
Hmmmm 🤔 I think ‘The Walking Blog’ is quite accurate. 😁
One thing I’ve learned is to never force a post just to meet my quota for the week.
What I mean is I have a goal to publish at least two posts per week. Of course this doesn’t always happen. If I choose one of the post ideas from my notes to write about then afterwards realize I’m not feeling it, I stop.
If I am not feeling a topic or am not excited about it in that moment of writing, I just come back to it when I’m feeling it again.
I consider myself a flow writer. If my flow is off and I am struggling to find the words then I know it will not reflect the quality I shoot for. When I am really into a topic the words just come out and new ideas come to mind and that gets me excited. 😆
Most of the things I write about stem from my family life or life experiences I want to share. I’ve had a lot of funny moments growing up and it’s fun going down memory lane by sharing them here with you all. 😊
Photo Based
Hmmmm what does she mean by that?
Well, before I even begin writing my posts all of the photos I will be using are already taken and edited.
I base my writing off of the photos I take.
Immediately after jotting down topic ideas, I go back and write in which photos I will take for that particular post. When I have the photos in mind more inspiration for the body of the posts is born.
Photography is a BIG part in how I create my posts. I take photos based off of how I want the post to feel to my readers. Whether it’s fun, sad, deep thoughts, laughing moments I want the photos to display those emotions that relate to what I’m writing about.
Some may feel that the body of the post is the most important thing to focus on but I feel the photos are what equally, if not more, capture the attention and engagement of the reader.
This is one of the reasons the cover photos take the longest for me to complete because I want that first impression of my post to be a really great one. I want it to be magnetizing, pulling readers in with eagerness and curiosity of what awaits them inside. 😜
Also, the title of my posts are usually born from the photos. If I don’t have the photos ready, I won’t start writing because I know they are a big part of my flow.
Editing Tools
I am so grateful for the many editing tools we have available to use. It is really worth the time it takes learning how to use them all. The end results always end up way more amazing than expected.
I’ll be sharing the app I use for editing (adding text mainly) my cover photos. As stated before I put quite a bit of time into my photos, especially the cover.
I used to just let the first photo be the first photo. As time went on I always found a way to write the title of my post somewhere on the photo. Then finally, I started making an intentional effort to make an eye catching cover photo that displays the title.
It’s all about first impressions. If a photo catches someone's attention they will most likely click on the post to check it out even if it’s not their usual topic of interest.
All apps that I share in this post are free to download in the App Store.
All photos of apps are snapshots taken directly from my phone from the App Store.
Adobe Lightroom is the first editing app I use for my photos.
I use it to sharpen, lighten/darken, fix colors, crop etc. I usually get the results I want when using it. I also like to play around with some of the preset filters they have available.
Next up is Adobe Photo Fix.. I mainly use this app for the healing feature. It allows me to remove any spots, lines or unwanted blemishes from my photos.
Like right now we have this shadowed line that keeps showing up in all of my photos (I think it’s time for a camera cleaning 🤔). This app allows me to easily remove it.
I think this is where I have most of my fun...creating the cover photo text with Rookie Cam!
This is where I feel the birth of my posts really starts to happen. The finished look of the cover is what motivates me the most. It gets me more excited about the topic and inspires what I write for the body of the post.
I love using this app because it has many different fonts and colors to choose from. I barely use the filters they provide but they do have several of them that may be worth a look. 🙂
Snapseed is another good one to use for texts, adding details and other useful editing effects such as perspective, drama and even double exposure.
Font Generator:
If you are looking for a way to spice up your posts and make them more visually pleasing, I suggest you try this Font Generator site that gives you options for fancy fonts. I like using these throughout my posts but mainly for headings.
So instead of this font yours could look like 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈, ƭɦíʂ, 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤 or even тнιѕ!
Changing up the font is a good way to keep eyes attentive to your publications.
Titles
...are up there in importance with the photos. If I am trying to capture eye captivating photos then the title of my blog posts needs to be just as captivating. A title and a photo cover go hand in hand.
I always try to nail the main point of my post in the title. Sometimes it may be poetic, clever, a play on words or just fun and unique. I try to play around with the photo composition in order to allow enough space for adding my title in an eye engaging way.
My title could be a question, a phrase or even just a few words that get to the point. I feel asking a question in the title pulls more interests from my readers, especially if it’s a question they want to know or see the answer to. Sometimes it could be a question they didn’t realize they want answered until reading the title.
All in all I like to be creative as I can with how I word it. Even if it’s not a play on words the font, colors and arrangement of the words all makeup how great it looks as a whole. My goal is to draw in my readers with the images and titles I choose. 🙂
The Body
As mentioned before my photo work takes the longest in the birth process. While I am working on and editing the photos the body of the post is already being brought into existence. This is due to the awakened inspiration from the photos.
I take my conceived jotted notes and expand on them until the body is completely formed.
If the body is lengthy (most times it is) I am careful to include subheadings, page dividers, bold and italicized words to help my readers navigate to important sections as well as to make the post more appealing to the eye.
As you see in this post I didn’t use a photo for every subheading but instead every other one. I always try to include a few along the way to make things more interesting and to help convey the mood of my writing. ☺️
Lastly, I always try to have a conclusion or some form of closing remark or paragraph to help tie everything in and sum up the main points for my readers. If I don’t do this I feel as if I’m just walking away without giving a proper adjournment.
Just like writing an essay, you have a beginning (intro), middle (body) and end (conclusion).
Time Management
My personal take on posting is this, I’d rather have fewer quality posts published than an abundance of quick mediocre ones that don’t really reflect what I’m capable of.
I started off making several posts a week but got burnt out quickly. On top of that my RL responsibilities were getting put on hold in order to meet my blogging goals. I couldn’t let that keep happening.
Fast forward, I found the amount of days per week that best fits my schedule to post. I’m not stressed out, I’m having fun and I look forward to when it’s my time to publish.
Another thing about this is I have gotten messages from other Hivers telling me they are looking forward to my next publication. I think because I don’t post as often it’s not a monotonous or mundane feeling for my readers. It’s almost like a special event because I post farther in between now.
Also, because I manage my time better I am able to make more lengthy, meaningful posts where I can take my time to relay the things I want my readers to learn or take away from my writing. I don’t feel rushed and overworked because I pace myself when getting things ready to make the type of posts that reflects my character. ☺️
Everyone’s time management looks different according to the makeup of their daily lives.
Fruits of Labor
When my work comes to completion it is such a rewarding and accomplished feeling. It’s really exciting seeing how it all came together.
Sometimes I’ll start a post and won’t get back to it for weeks. I’m adding pieces here and there, rearranging text and adding/removing things to make it better. It could be due to time restraints or because I’m not enthused about that topic/post at the moment.
I will only publish a post I would enjoy reading myself. That has always been my golden rule. Even at the beginning stages I am always asking myself
would I enjoy reading this?
If I would enjoy it I believe my readers would too. 😊
It’s a pretty awesome feeling knowing that I am able to publish work that others enjoy reading. The funny thing is even though it is work I don’t see it that way. I see it as a fun hobby that enables me to express myself and share my life with the people I am connected to.
In the end, I see it as getting rewarded for my hobby. I am literally being rewarded for something I really enjoy doing and I would have never imagined something like this. It is worth every minute I put into it because I am truly enjoying the fruits of my labor ~ ❤️