*Just a little note to say that this post has been edited. I was made aware of additional (to my post, they've always been part of this year's original award) requirements that were not sent to me via my nomination so I've added them in. I will put in bold what I have added and leave an * where I've changed the wording.
The Liebster Award.
Hi everyone! I was tagged by the lovely Courtney (www.unfilteredmamasite.wordpress.com) to do this tag! This tag was created to help new bloggers get discovered and to help them connect with the rest of the blogging community. The rules are:
- Recognise who tagged you and promote their blog on your blog.
- Answer all questions asked of you.
- Create 11 NEW questions.
- *Nominate 5-11 bloggers with under 200 followers.
- Inform them.
- Display the award on your blog (put it in your post). You can find free images here.
- Write a 150-300 word piece about your favourite blog (not your own). Explain why and leave links.
- Optional: include 10 random facts about yourself.
The questions asked to me were:
1. What type of blogger are you? How did you get to where you are right now?
I am a mental health (both personal and informational) blogger whose posts also fit in with the “lifestyle” category. I only created this blog back in April (3 months ago) and would post occasionally but I decided to get into a routine and started blogging twice a week from the end of June/beginning of July. Since doing so and tweeting out links every day I now have over 3k views, an established minimum view count per day and have had days where I’ve had 5x the amount of views as the previous day.
2. When do you find the time to blog?
I can’t work due to my mental health so I write posts more or less every day. As I mentioned above, I only post twice a week so I’m constantly stocking up on posts.
3. Out of all your published posts, which one is your favorite? Why?
I think the “Self-Care Q&A” has to be my favourite. It was the first time I had created my own Q&A and got such an overwhelming response from people wanting to take part that I had to put a cap on the number of people I sent out the questions to. I post their responses to the questions every Friday now.
4. What do you enjoy doing in your free time, besides blogging?
I write a lot of fictional stories and host an interactive story site. I enjoy a good book – more so in physical form than via audiobook or Kindle. I also love to sing and when I was well I loved going to concerts and comedy gigs.
5. If you could travel to any place in the world, where would you go?
I love Spain and Bulgaria and I would really love to go back. I also want to get well enough so that if I get any work opportunities through my blog I can travel to them.
6. Are you a book reader? What book would you recommend everyone to read?
I have been reading anything and everything I can get my hands on since I learned to read. For children and young teens I recommend any of Jacqueline Wilson’s books. My favourites as a child were “Lola Rose” and “The Dare Game” which is based on one of her most successful characters, Tracy Beaker. She also inspired me to write. For young adults I recommend Sara Shepard’s “Pretty Little Liars” series, “The Perfectionists”, “The Lying Game” and her new series “The Amateurs”.
7. Have you had any negative experiences with blogging? What did you do to overcome it?
The only negative thing I have witnessed whilst blogging wasn’t directed at me. It was basically “blogger drama” so I took on board the warnings that people where giving about working with specific bloggers who are known for scamming people and ignored all the rest. *I've also noticed that when talking about mental health some people try to make it a competition and try to invalidate how you're feeling if they don't deem it to be "as bad" as theirs.
8. Where are you from? Favorite place to go in your town?
I am from a city in Scotland called Stirling. My favourite place there is along the embankments of the river Forth. It’s so nice to sit there and watch the sun set. Admittedly, I haven’t been there in years.
9. What has surprised you the most about blogging and its large community?
I was surprised by how friendly most bloggers are. It’s so different to other communities that I have been a part of in the past. Mostly everyone is supportive and they will always help you out. Nothing is certain in the blogging world; it is what you make it. It's not a competition and you won't get very far thinking you are entitled to everything. I'm a big fan of the saying "what is for you will not go by you". If it's meant to be, it will be. Blog because you have a passion for it: not for freebies, money or even awards. At the end of the day people will remember you for how you were as person not how many awards you won or how many views you had.
10. What are your long-term goals for your blog?
My initial goal was to help just one person and that will always be my #1 goal. If I can help others not feel as alone as I did/do then it is a job well done (and a blog well blogged). It would be nice to make this my job and to be a freelance writer which has been one of my dreams for so long now. I feel like it’s something that I can definitely do and I don’t have to worry about being ill as I can take as much time out as needed without fear of getting fired.
11. Name something you can’t live without and explain why.
It’s going to sound really cheesy but I can’t live without my parents. They support me so much and if it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t even attempt to go outside on my good days. I owe them a lot and if I can make a career out of blogging/freelancing then I can make a start on repaying them by contributing more to bills etc.
Here are 10 Random Facts About Me:
- I used to perform in a children's circus every summer (as a child clown)
- I still have the dollhouse that my grandad made me.
- I'm terrified of needles.
- Robots scare me too.
- I've never seen "classic" movies such as "Dirty Dancing", the original "Ghostbusters" etc.
- I've met various famous people (mostly Scottish) including Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid from Harry Potter).
- I've been involved in several choirs including NYCoS.
- I wanted to be an opera singer.
- I own a website that most of you don't know about.
- I really want to become a published author but lack the confidence to go after my dream.
For those that I tagged, here are your questions:
1. How did your blog come about/what or who inspired you to create one?
2. Who gives you the most #bloginspo (blog inspiration)?
3. Do you have a blogging schedule?
4. What do you think about automatic dms from bloggers you follow on Twitter?
5. Who was your first blogging friend?
6. If you could trade lives with another blogger, who would it be and why?
7. What does your preferred (physical) writing space look like? Is it at a table in café? Is it at a desk/table in your own home?
8. What fictional place would you like to travel to? Why?
9. If you could be a part of any TV show/Podcast/Movie cast which one would you chose and why?
10. Do you have a comfort item? For example a piece of clothing that makes you feel good, a treasured blanket from your past etc?
11. And last but not least: a silly question. If you were a colour; what colour would you be and what would you name yourself?
I nominate (11 + a cheeky extra as I lost track of how many):
1. Nikki @NerfMercy_ camerasandcanines.blogspot.com
2. Becca @mygirlsandmexo mygirlsandmesite.com
3. Nouf: @noufnotes noufnotes.wixsite.com/noufnotes
4. Phil: @themoneylessman moneylessman.co.uk
5. Tiffany: @sincerelytifff sincerelytiffany.com
6. Ana: @anaenglishblog thatenglishnerd.wordpress.com
7. Phannie @phanniebookworm phanniethegingerbookworm.wordpress.com
8. Saira: @acupofsai acupofsai.co.uk
9. Leila: @LeilaNeve leilaland.co.uk
10. Kloe: @Kloeslilcorner kloeslilcorner.weebly.com
11. Mariah: @VibesByMariah vibesbymariah.weebly.com
12. Faisal: @falidude allthingsrunningsite.wordpress.com
And my favourite blog (from my nominations) is...
How do I choose? I've talked to you all at some point for
various lengths and all of our conversations are dear to me so it’s not been
easy to pick.
I have chosen Becca’s (mygirlsandmesite) blog as we’ve
conversed a lot and I always feel like I can have a good old moan with her
without being judged. She is such a lovely person and that really shines through
not only in her messages to me but across her blog and public social media
posts.
She is a mummy and lifestyle blogger (and doing a cracking
job at both!) who blogs simply because it’s fun and I really admire her for
that. She’s down-to-earth and doesn’t let smashing new goals get to her head
which is what I think is key when growing your blog/social media. Her posts are
fun and engaging, and she’s not afraid to post cringe-y throwback photos (her
words, not mine!). She’s also not afraid of posting pieces that are personal to
her; her engagement story, what her children are getting up to etc and the fact
that she has a crush on Leigh Francis (or Keith Lemon as you may know him) so,
as you can tell, she’s very open and honest.
I could go on forever about just how amazing she is but my word count is nearly up. If my opinion of her doesn’t sway you to check her out then you should definitely check her out anyway and see for yourself. You can find her on Twitter, Facebook and on her blog.
It stressed me out trying to find 11 people with less than 200 followers (I assumed it was on their blog and was not aware that 11 wasn't a set number until nearly a week after posting and nearly a month after receiving my nomination) so I literally messaged around to find out who hadn’t done this tag yet and ended up with these 12 nominations! If you're struggling to find bloggers with less than 200 followers then ask around and feel free to ask me to send out a message for you as the lovely Char (@forgedopulence) did for me.
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