How to Create a Successful Blog! {Part 1}

Since I’ve been blogging for six years, I figure I might as well let you in on my secrets for creating a successful blog. Please note that I am NOT an expert in this and these tips are only suggestions! I’ve made little lists and sorted them into categories. Posts, Designs, Sharing, and Other. I’m going to be posting these lists in four little parts, like a series. Today, I’m talking about how to make great blog posts. Hope you enjoy!

Posts:

1. Start simple. You may want to post a bazillion posts on your first day, but this might cause a reader to find your blog overwhelming. Begin your blogging experience with one or two deep, welcoming posts that will help the reader think Wow, this is a great blog! (If you really want to write those posts, try saving them as drafts so that you can post them ASAP the next time you need something new on your blog)
2. Time tracking. Once you’ve gotten used to having your blog, I advise posting on a regular basis. If you only post once every five months, people will be less likely to check your blog as often (even if they love your blog) since they pretty much know there won’t be any new posts. If you make a post every Sunday, though, people will want to check your blog more to see those posts! I try to post at least once every two weeks, but am hoping to start posting more frequently.
3. A little or a lot? Post size is definitely something you’ll want to look into if you haven’t already. What makes a good size for a blog post? I like having variety in the lengths of my posts and pages, but I generally keep them within 500-1500 words long and normally containing a photo or two. You should decide for yourself if you like a little or a lot of words, but keep this in mind: If it’s too short, you might not have time to put in all your wonderful thoughts. If it’s too long, other people might not read the whole thing and just scan over it. You have to find the right ballance!
4. Picture perfect. I almost always post a picture or two with my blog posts. I think that it just makes my blog more attractive and fun, and can also hint followers on what they’re about to read. WordPress used to have a whole bunch of images at the side of the page that they reccomended for you based on your post, but I don’t think they do that even more, so I just look around on the web for something cute to use. Important Note-Make sure you have permission to use an image before you take it! Otherwise, using the picture could be considered piracy, which can get you in jail. And they probably won’t let you blog in jail, so…
5. Theme scheme. What types of posts do you want on your blog? Here on Rainbow of Words, I do pretty much anything and everything that tickles my fancy, but you might want to zoom in a little more and have posts JUST about animals or JUST about writing. That’s up to you. But whatever theme it is you choose for your posts, when you’re writing a post, try to stick to the main idea of that post. If you wander too much, so might the attention span of your loyal readers! If you do get an even better idea for a post while you’re posting something completely different, just jot your idea down as a draft post. That’s what I do when I get a blog idea, I’ll just begin working on it and put it on my drafts and then someday pull it out and work on it. I actually started this post in September but never finished it!
6. Style swap. Writing style is also something you might want to consider. Do you want your posts to be funny, serious, or written only in text lingo? its all up 2 u but just rmembr that any grammr freaks who read ur blog mite leave u a bunch of comments corecting all ur errors if u talk like this, lol. Mix it up, have some fun, experiment to discover your style!
7. Variety. Don’t be afraid to mix it up a little with your posts! A blog offers so many options, like TAG posts (a list of questions bloggers answer, sort of like a challenge sent from blogger to blogger), vlogs (video blogs), picture posts (a post made of just pictures and captions), quotes, the list goes on and on! Try out something new instead of staying in the same old format.

Stay tuned for part 2, coming soon!

Bravery

Brav·er·y 
Noun. Plural: brav·er·ies
1. The condition or quality of being brave; courage.
2. Splendor or magnificence; show.

When you hear the word “Bravery”, what do you think of?

Some people think of heroes and heroines, battling dragons in adventure and fantasy movies. Some people think of a role model, somebody inspirational who wouldn’t give up until they saw their dreams through. And some people think of standing up for themselves against a bully or a mean teacher. Whatever it is you envision, it’s a wonderful skill to develop, and this blog is going to give you the key to unlock the bravery that lives in your heart.

What does it mean to be brave, anyway? According to the dictionary, the definition of “brave” is “possessing or exhibiting courage or courageous endurance.” Although not everyone views bravery like that. To some it’s just, as John Wayne says, “being scared to death, but saddling up anyway” Me, I think it’s just taking risks, which is a part of life. You either take the chance or you don’t. Either choice has its dangers.

First, you should know that there are many types of bravery, yet at the same time, they are all really one whole thing. There are big gulps of bravery, small gulps of bravery, and so-so gulps of bravery. Bravery is different for each person. Some people find it insanely courageous to walk on a mile-high tightrope over a waterfall without a net, while others think just giving an oral report requires bravery. It all depends on you, your opinions, your choices, your achievements, your dreams, and your skills.

There are also many words for bravery-courage, fearlessness, dauntlessness, daring, heroism, spunk… The synonyms go on and on, as do ways you can use bravery. You can use it to try a new skill, to stand up for yourself, and to just make the path of your life flow out in front of you the way you want it to. In a world full of people who don’t always want you to get your way, one mere word is an essential tool for living a successful life. Not only can it help you gain accomplices on this long and daring journey we can life, but it can allow you share your creations, jump off that high diving board at the local pool, and achieve all the things you’ve ever dreamed of. Well, most of it.

Be brave.

“I am who I am… And I’m not ashamed”

You know what I’ve noticed lately? People have lots of secrets. I’m not saying secrets are bad, because we all have things we’d rather not share with the class! That’s just human nature. No, it’s not the prospect of secrets themselves. It’s what people keep secret that I’m worried about.

One of the most common secrets that I have heard from my friends is, surprisingly, an interest. It’s amazing how many people hide things that really don’t need to be hidden. Things like “I actually don’t like pop music,” and “Pink is my favorite color.” You wouldn’t think that those sorts of things would be secrets. I mean, sure, you might not go door to door screaming “I like to wear eyeshadow, even though I always say that I hate makeup!”, but it’s nothing to be ashamed of.

I was thinking about this for a little bit last night, when I couldn’t sleep, and then, all of a sudden, I realized why. It’s because we all have an ideal person who we want other people to see when they look at us, even if that ideal person is not like them at all. We all have something that we want people to think when they look at us, like “She’s so artistic!” or “He’s so smart!” We don’t mean to, but we make stereotypes for ourselves. We seem to want to all be perfect, have all of our interests coordinate, to not be considered as an oddball. Of course, we know that it’s O.K. not to be considered normal, because we all have our little quirks. But often times, people keep things about themselves secret because they don’t want those things to be true about them. It doesn’t fit with the person that they want to be.

If I had to fit myself into a stereotypical category, I would pick a tie between “school girl”and “artsy girl.” I always try to do my very best on school assignments, I take pride in knowing things that other people don’t know, I care a lot about proper punctuation and grammar, I often correct other people, but I get annoyed when people correct me. I also excel at drawing, painting, music, drama, things like that. But there are some things about me that people don’t normally associate with those two personality types, and those are the things I don’t normally put on my “About Me” list. I often claim not to be the sporty type, but I do really like dodgeball and soccer. I’m much more of a “girly-girl” than a “tomboy”. I like to shop. I like playing with LEGO Friends and American Girl dolls and a lot of other toys. I could play video games for hours on end. Although I don’t often tell people these things, I’m not ashamed of them- they just don’t fit in with the person I want people to think of me as. But, as Hagrid says about being a half-giant in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, “I am who I am… And I’m not ashamed.” I may not be half-giant, but I do know that I’m not afraid of who I am.

Why am I posting this? I guess I just really want people to know that there’s no reason to hide those little quirks about you. You are an amazing person, warts and all, no matter what. 🙂

 

Writing Prompt of the Week #1

Every Sunday, I will add a new writing prompt to this blog, and every Saturday, I will post my and other’s work, inspired by the prompt. Click the image above to submit your work! It is due by the Friday of that week, at 11:59PM PST, and can be in any form, unless the prompt says otherwise. Be creative! This isn’t required at all, I just thought it would be a fun way for us writers to share what we’ve done. Nothing has to be perfect. Good luck! Click the image for more info and to safely submit your writing.

Stand Tall: Chloe’s Guide to dealing with bullies on the web.

I don’t know if you’ve ever been cyber-bullied before, but I have, and trust me, no matter how much you tell yourself “I’m  

Bullying is never cool. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

O.K., they can’t change my mind, there’s no need to worry.”, it hurts. Whenever people give me advice on things like this, they always say things like “just ignore them,” or, “stand up to them,”. That’s what I did last year, when I hadn’t experienced this treachery. I thought it was helpful. But, honestly, it isn’t. No matter how much I tried to “just ignore it”, it still really hurt that people could say things like that to me. I found myself giving in to what the bullies said, sometimes even believing them. So, here it is. This is my mini-survival guide to cyberbullies. And I do mean mini, I only have ten percent battery left on my laptop. Now, this is just my strategy, yours might be completely different. Hopefully, however, you might get some ideas from this list here.

1. Don’t read it, do delete it. If you read the first sentence of a comment and find it full of insults, don’t read it, and if possible, delete it. Seriously. I know it might be tempting to find out what it says, but ya really don’t want to know. People can say really hurtful lies over the internet. It’s not cool. Don’t let yourself get caught in the meanness web. Yank out the sticky mean from your online world before you get seriously trapped.
2. W.A.L.K. A.W.A.Y. It might be tempting to run to every single forum you’re part of in call for advice, hugs, comfort, and by all means, do that, but not right after reading the post. You might not realize it, but other people’s anger is one of the best fuels for your own fire of anger, and what means to be a nice response to somebody’s nice comment on your SOS post can turn into a ferocious dragon yelling “You’re worthless!”. You don’t want anyone else feeling this way, right? So stand up, shut down the computer/iPad/whatever, and take a break for at least a couple of hours. Take a walk, bath, or snack break. Get lost in the latest Heroes of Olympus novel. Try to get your mind off of it until you’ve calmed down 100%.
3. Think Y-O-U. Once you’ve had some un-line time, sit down and do just what I told you not to do- think about what happened in a calm manner. Ask yourself honest questions such as How am I feeling about this?, On the scale of one to ten of my emotions, with one being the least bothersome and ten being the worst thing anyone could ever say to me, where was what he/she said?, or, What can I do about this? Try not to think about them, blaming them for how you feel. Of course, you’re angry, you’re hurt, but the blame game is never a good habit to get into. Instead, try to focus on how you feel and what you can do.
4. Don’t Reply. In real life, you might chose to stand up for yourself, and that would be the end of that problem, but online, it’s different. People say things just to upset people, and they laugh when they see “How dare you’s” in response. Don’t give them that satisfaction. Stay cool, delete the message, and don’t send them a bunch of hate-mail in response. If you’re talking in, say, Gmail chat or IM, just say you have to go and log off straight away before they can say anything else. And ban them, if possible, so it doesn’t happen again.
5. Be Brave. I know it’s hard, but just try not to let it take over your life, okay? By saying “be brave”, I am not saying it’s bad to feel upset or worried or scared. It’s healthy and natural to cry and let your feelings out. Just remember to stay true to yourself and your friends. It may seem impossible, but you will survive. I know you can.
6. Get Help. If the bullying continues, or if you get anything more than a six on the 1-10 rating question on number three, get help, now, from an adult you trust. It’s one thing to have your feelings hurt by accident, or to be playfully teased. It’s another to feel unsafe online. You will NOT get in trouble. You WILL get help and support.

Just hang in there, O.K.? I’m always here if you need to talk. I love you guys.

Come True {a work-in-progress song}

It hurts me to see you hurting like this.

You know you’ve always been the top of my list

Cuz you’re the best friend

A girl could have

And I want you to know

I appreciate that, but

You seem to believe

That you’re not beautiful, well

You’re wrong. You’re wrong. You’re wrong.

Chorus:

Oh, listen to me. You’re not worthless.

Listen to me. Please, stop hurting.

You know that I’d walk a thousand miles… For you.

Listen to me. Don’t be sorry.

Listen to me. No need to worry.

Just stand beside me, your dreams, they will… Come true.

Come true, ooh, ooh, Come true, ooh.

Just stand beside me, your dreams, they will… Come true.

 

Blogger-to-Blogger {featuring the amazing MorningTime4!}

Morning: Hello, everyone to this lovely one-on-one chat with the lovely Chloe from Rainbow of Words, who has also published the book “Totally Spaced Out”. How are you today, Chloe?

Chloe: I’m pretty good, Morning, still a little shaken from the sudden change from summer’s blissful nothingness to fall’s sudden business. And yourself?

Morning: I am doing quiet well, thank you very much.

Chloe: So, Morning, how did you begin blogging? What inspired you to start your blog, The Ups and Downs of my Not-so-Average Life?

Morning: Blogging? Ah, this is a very good question. On NaNoWriMo, I saw that a lot of writers on the forums had blogs. But then, around January this year, I had a resolution to be myself and find out who I am as a person.

Chloe: Interesting.

Morning: So I started the blog, The Ups and Downs of My Not-So-Average Life. I wanted my voice to be heard. Another reason why I began blogging was because there’s this lovely blog author going by the name Perfectly Imperfect, and she was the first person who awed me by her words. Chloe, your blog, Rainbow of Words, has been growing with readers and followers. I know you have many blogs, but this one has been the one that has been rapidly growing. Tell us what you blog about, and why.

Chloe: Well, a lot of my blogs are random, I-ate-an-apple-so-I-should-post-about-an-apple-named-Phineas type blogs, nothing very serious, but Rainbow of Words is different. Despite the fact that my blog really doesn’t have any theme, most of my posts are longer, deeper. They show more of what I think about. Rainbow of Words began as a writing blog, for me to share my work, and ended up as a collection of what I think about. I post about my life, and life in general. About inspiration, and art. Really, my blog is nothing special, just this and that. But I like it that way. And, in a way, this blog has changed who I am. Speking of change, has blogging changed or affected your life in any way?

Morning: Blogging has changed my life in both a positive and negative way. Because of blogging I have became a more positive, confident and outgoing person. I’ve also gained a lot of online friends. The negative thing that blogging impacted is that some people that discovered by blog and are saying hateful things about it, but honestly, I’m not going to stop blogging because of some haters. I’m going to express myself with my words and blogging and that’s just how it is. Anyways, Chloe, who is someone who inspires you in life?

Chloe: One of my role models has always been the country pop artist Taylor Swift. Ever since I first got one of her albums in my stocking at age nine, I’ve been hooked to her songs. But in the last year or so, I’ve noticed how inspiring she is as a person. She’s always saying kind and amazing things, and she’s not afraid to be herself. I admire that in a person. Another person I admire is my close friend, Selah. I first met her when I was six, and since then, she’s inspired me to work hard and dream big. Just seeing the smile on her face is enough to help me keep on going when it is tough. She means everything to me. She’s such a treasure to have. Morning, I know the majority of your posts are about lessons you have learned. Which one of these lessons written about on your blog do you think influenced your life the most?

Morning:I think the post that influenced me the most was the post that was (accidentally, because I tried to send it to my Blogger address many times but forgot it) FWD: “‘Who am I?'” This question has always bothered me since the fourth grade, because I’ve heard many times stories of people that they were finding themselves and such. Many times people have told me that I would have to go on my own path to finding myself, and that post has had such an impact on me because honestly, finding yourself takes time, unlike in books, in only takes a matter of months or weeks. What I mean by a long time, I mean years, maybe ten or fifteen. And even then, we are still trying to find who we are as people. The post were my honest thoughts on that matter and I have to say I’m proud writing about it. Chloe, I know that you’re a creative person. Do you do and work on any personal projects that matter to you?

Chloe: I do have a few projects going on at the moment. The first one is the charity I created with the money I have earned from selling my published novel, Totally Spaced Out. Basically, I sell books, and put the money in a special jar. Once I get to my goal (five hundred dollars), I will use it to donate to an endangered species (such as… penguins). This is meaningful to me, because not only is it a way for me to share my work with the world, but I also get to help a cause I believe in. I currently have one book for sale as part of my charity, and am brainstorming on a second one. Speaking of books, Morning, I hear that you are an author, and we all know that writers need their inspiration.What are some ways you use to get inspired?

Morning: The ways that I use to get inspired is that I just open all five of my senses up to the world. I listen. I see. I smell. I touch. I taste. I always try to have a notepad with a pencil or a pen so that way, whenever something that I hear and see or any of the other senses that I say, “I have to have that as a story idea!”, I can write it down. Like yesterday, for example. Someone that I know while I was taking pictures for my yearbook class complimented me on my shoes and said something about them. I thought, “Bing bing bing, idea alert!” Now, I am planning to use it for my novel this November. Well, thank you so much, Chloe, for chatting with me!

{Note- this is a chat transcript with the amazing MorningTime4 of The Ups and Downs of My Not-so-Average Life. We agreed that we would post it on both of our blogs. It was super-fun to make together, especially once I discovered that I have reached my goal of 50 followers before October! YAY! Thanks so much, guys, I love you all. *blows kisses*. If you have a blog and would like to do a Blogger-to-Blogger chat with me through email, Goodreads message, NMG’s G2G talk/stickering or PM on NaNoWriMo YWP, please comment below and we can organize it. Thanks for reading this guys, and remember to shine on… Forever! }

 

Your Voice, My Blog

So, for those of you who don’t know, it’s gonna be my six-year bloggiversery soon. I have a mini-goal of having 50 followers by then, and right now I have a total of 48. That’s two more fans in a little more than a month! And the way I want to do that is bye earning genuine follows, not just those spam follows that only follow your blog so you look at theirs. To do this, I plan to post things I know my readers will like. And for that, I need your help. Would you mind quickly answering this form to help my blog improve? Thanks so much! It means a lot. *hugs readers* I love you guys!

 

School Advice

(Photo credit: deeplifequotes)

My close friend is about to go off to high school, and she’s super nervous. We were emailing just now, and she spilled out some worries. What if she got lost? What if her clothes weren’t cool? What if she didn’t fit in? So, after several attempts of saying “it’ll be OK”, I sat down and typed this email:

Don’t worry so much. I know you’re nervous, but try looking on the bright side. 

 

 Your teachers know that you’re new and will most likely cut you some slack if you get lost. Your outfits are all very cool, and really, it doesn’t matter if people don’t like them because you don’t dress to please them, you dress to please YOU(and to keep from freezing and being embarrassed). You already have friends who are going to the school, right? On the first day, everyone in your grade will be new, so don’t worry about fitting in until you’ve settled in. And really, the best way to fit in (or at least be liked) is to be friendly, smile a lot, and above all, be yourself. Even if some people do think you’re a loser or that you dress like a hog or whatever else they might think, it really doesn’t matter, does it? Haters only hate people who have what they can’t have or who do what they can’t do. Chances are, if people don’t like you, it’s because they’re jealous of you, so don’t hide. Be proud of who you are and who you will be come- an amazing, strong girl who has been a wonderful friend since the day we met. Speaking of friends, this will be a great opportunity to make new ones and see old ones. 

 

Now, you should try to get some sleep so that you’re not tired and grumpy tomorrow. Remember to shine and stay true to yourself, and I swear that you’ll be marvellous. And don’t forget to email me with all the details! I want to know what it’s like!

This may be written for a high school girl, but it’s always good to remember this. I’ve learned a lot this summer- about who I am, about who I can be. I’ve learned that I can hurt people. My words have an effect on the world. I shouldn’t listen to those who hate. Life can be hard, but it will even out in the end. Don’t expect perfection. I can’t hate people, because all people are good at heart. I may disagree with their choices, but they still deserve to live. We are all here to love one another, not to fight.

Promise me that the next time you walk through the doors of your house, your school, or anywhere, that you will remember not to worry and to be happy. You are an amazing person, and the world deserves to know it! It’s not vanity- it’s self-acceptance, which is a skill that all people should have, but few actually do. Get out there and spread some love!

 (Photo credit: Evil Erin)

 (Photo credit: deeplifequotes)

Want to share your writing, get inspired, meet a community of amazing girls, change the world, share your opinions, subscribe to an awesome magazine, make new friends, and do so much more with just the click of a mouse?

This is a post stolen from one of my other blogs. I wrote it when I was about nine years old, so it’s not top quality writing… I just wanted to get the word out and was too lazy to write a full post, soooooo… Yeah. xD Anyways, this mag/website changed me. What used to be a snobby little brat is now the girl whom you see in each blog post. And I owe it all to New Moon Girls. Well, theatre and Girl Guides helped, too, but NMG really boosted my confidence. If you are a girl, I suggest you at least check it out.

Hi, Guys! I want to tell you about one of my favourite web sites and magazines- New Moon Girls!
New Moon is a really fun web site made for girls 8+. It has message boards and games,too.  You can share your creativity by creating a ‘room’,  writing stories, poems, quizzes,or polls and uploading photos, videos, and artwork into your stuff. It makes me smile, like in this photo:

If you’re looking for popularity contests, Makeup ads, or Gossip from celebrities, You’ll be disappointed-That is, until you discover that New Moon is better than that old stuff! New Moon supports Inner Beauty-Do you really need to be skinny,wear a certain type of clothes,or go on diets to be beautiful? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Even if you think you’re ‘fat’ You’re probably a healthy wait for your body type. And dieting can be super dangerous!

NMG is also  safe-I mean, It’s all moderated, and anything that could be offencive,shares or asks for personal information(full names,city, contact info, etc.),or is inappropriate for girls aged 8-12 (though girls older than this are welcomed on) is deleted.

New Moon Girls is also a magazine! It’s full of content by girls that are found on the web site, and contains cool topics,fiction, and sometimes interviews with inspiring women(and girls!) Plus, It’s edited by girls! Currently, The Girls Editorial Board (GEB for short) are aged 9-14. I happen to be one of them myself.

New Moon inspires girls everywhere to be creative and express your inner beauty. You can, too!
Click here to sign up for this safe,creative,positive world for girls,Plus, get a year of bio-monthly(Every other month) of NMG magazine, or, Give a gift on New Moon to a girl you know (IF you’re over the age of 18) for only $34.95! You can even see a free issue of New Moon Girls Magazine at this link  or try NMG online for 30 days for free!

I love New Moon, and If you join, I’m sure you will too! This link is a link to My Room on New moon girls, so you can get a peek of what you can do. New Moon is awesome! Thanks so much for reading!