5 Things with Elise Blaha

I'm Elise Blaha Cripe, though on the internet, I am mostly just known as Elise Blaha (this is the trouble with getting married after establishing an online presence.) :) I have been blogging for almost six years. I started in college because I wanted to share thoughts on trying to find a job I loved and talk about my adventures. Since then, my blog has grown and now I still talk a bit about adventures, but also share recipes, craft tutorials, and talk about running a small business. Through my blog, I was able launch my online shop and teach online workshops. I live in Southern California and am anxiously waiting for my husband to get home from Afghanistan. Here are two of my favorite posts about working from home : on self-employment and on motivation.

1. Write about what you know and like. ---> If you stay true to your interests, style, and self, your blog will always be authentic and real. Authenticity is attractive and readers will respect it. Plus-- it will be easy to stand behind what you say.

2. Interact with your readers. ---> I don't respond to every comment, but I do read and appreciate each and every one. I am careful to answer all questions as quickly as possible.

3. Focus on just one topic in each post. ---> Early on, I blogged about anything and everything each day. There wasn't much reason for it. But that was okay; I was growing as a writer and my readership was growing. Now, there are so many venues to share good blog posts (twitter, facebook, pinterest, etc.) and I think it's important that each post has a single topic. It makes it easy for your great ideas to be shared and linked and re-shared. If you have a fun craft tutorial and a great recipe, those should be two separate posts.

4. Try to establish a schedule. ---> I do my best to have a post ready to go live at 5am PST every Monday-Friday. I read a ton of blogs and I appreciate the ones that post consistently. Because of this, I try to provide the same for my readers. You don't have to post daily, but be sure to make time for writing and set a goal to get a few posts up a week.

5. Like everything else, inspiration comes and goes. ---> Some months, I feel like I have too much good stuff to say. My brain feels packed. My camera is full. My blog is bursting at the margins with good content. Other months, I agonize over what to write. I have realized that the key to getting through it is to keep writing. Always keep writing. Creativity is a muscle and the more you use it, the more you'll find. Don't get discouraged when you feel like all your ideas are used up; they will most certainly be back.

Find Elise Here: Blog  |  Shop  |  Pinterest  |  Twitter

This is great advice, Elise! I am definitely agreeing with you about #4: it's so important to schedule out your time, plan ahead, and get yourself on a routine. It makes for better quality posts AND a sense of peace about your time. :) -- AND if you haven't checked out Elise's shop, you should...it's a-maze-ing!