The Best of the Blogging World.

Editor’s Note: Reader Meg emailed me last week asking for some blogging advice. I read the email. I blushed. I actually didn’t think I was at all equipped to be giving anyone advice. But then I realized I have learned some little gems along the way. So take it from me, Meg…

Meg writes:

I wanted your advice for two reasons: the first because I love your blog. I feel like you know exactly who you are, exactly what your style is, and you infuse that into everything you write. The second reason is because you are almost exactly what I hope to be someday: a freelance writer with a newspaper column. As a side-note, I also “over-share, over-analyze, and over-obsess” about pretty much EVERYTHING.

Ugh, here I am going on about how I want advice but I haven’t even gotten to the thing I want advice about! I want advice about… everything? What you think a new (young) blogger should do, should write about, etc. You are so accomplished and so obviously loved, and I hope to get maybe 1/1000 of that kind of following!

You are so utterly fantastic, and I look forward to gleaning ANYTHING and EVERYTHING I can from you.

And then I received this email from readers, Mel and Ames:

We follow your blog and are always entertained in a different way with each blog.

We are VERY new to the entire blogging experience and your blogs are so wondeful that we wondered if you could offer us any blogging advice?

True to the title of this blog, I have said quite a lot over these past nine months – some good, some bad, some awkward and some, well, just plain hilarious (what’s life without laughter, really? I’m a pro at being able to laugh at myself!).

And I took some chances too – again, some good, some not-so-good and some (OK, maybe more than some) just downright hilarious. Believe it or not, I actually feel like I’ve grown by leaps and bounds from this little blog.

Of course, I also learned some things along the way, including some things I, frankly, wasn’t expecting. Check out my lessons learned and feel free to share the lessons you’ve learned from your own blogging wisdom.

Accentuate your awkwardness
They say that if you’ve got it, flaunt it. And I’m sure they just weren’t talking about beautiful legs and blonde hair here. It’s safe to say I’ve cornered the market on making awkward actually sort of cool (not cute, though; remember, that’s a bad, bad word).

Never regret telling someone how you feel
Keeping feelings inside gives them far too much power over you and your life, and trust me, saying them – or writing them – won’t be as bad in reality as the scary scene you’ve spent countless hours (or, years, as in my case) creating in your head. For example, I ran into Crush Boy a few weeks ago. It was the first time we’d seen each other since my (read: awkward) revelation about my feelings for him. Was I expecting it to be a hideously awkward scene where we’re both so obviously trying to avoid each other? Yes. Was that how it turned out to be? Of course not. We both spoke to each other as if nothing had happened or changed between us. I could have wasted another 14 years hiding my feelings, but I don’t want to. There’s a certain sigh of relief I can now breathe because he knows. And that’s good because you know what? Even if no relationship ever comes of it, I’m glad he knows. It was something I feared, and I conquered it. That’s something to be proud of, don’t you think?

You have far more confidence than you think you do
It’s sort of strange, but this blog has given me a newfound sense of confidence. In the past 6 months, I’ve noticed I hold my head higher, walk (well, more like roll….) with a purpose and am even becoming more outgoing. I’ve even been known to smile at a cute guy every once in awhile — something I’d never even dream of doing before. It’s as if all this honesty and openness I’ve cultivated here has blossomed into my real life. What a feeling!

It’s their loss
Really, this applies to everything in my life: magazine rejections, guys, jobs. If someone isn’t smart enough to see the obvious awesomeness that you possess, they’re most definitely not worth it. Not everyone is going to like you (that’s just life). That’s not your fault, though; it’s theirs.

Writing about it helps – a lot
Being a writer, I was already hip to this notion. But writing on a daily basis – usually about something pretty personal – helps you navigate the big, wide world, and helps you learn a heck of a lot about yourself along the journey.

There are just some boys you’ll never get over
That one could be good or bad. I haven’t decided yet. What do you think?

So I ask you: What have YOU learned from blogging?

xoxo,