Blogger Interview – Sarah

I am Sarah, mom to three boys (16, 3 and 1), wife to Kirk. We live in the foothills of Mt. Rainier in Washington State. I started blogging around 2005, for my website, Trail Cooking (and which I still actively blog at http://blog.trailcooking.com/) My blog http://www.gazingin.com/ came out of a burnout period in late 2008. Blogging in a male-dominated industry isn’t easy, I was tired of men who thought it was my husband’s works with my face in front of it. My youngest children further influenced me. I write mostly about recipes and food, with sides of gardening, DIY, snarkiness, family and more. I don’t like to put myself in a niche. Not quite a ‘foodie’, but neither am I a ‘mommy blogger’. Gazing In is me – where I can say what I want without being judged.

How do I find time to blog?

I treat my blogging as a job. When I started my first website in 2004, I treated it that way. Even with two young children, I work writing in. I do much of it while the youngest naps midday, and then after they go to bed. I have a desk that is only for work, with a dedicated computer. I put on my headphones and work for two hours a night, every night. It isn’t easy feeling so pulled but just like working out, we can MAKE the time! Your children will be OK if semi-ignored while you work, they can play next to you. They can help you cook. My oldest loves telling people I am an author and that I blog.

My Blogging Schedule:

Over the years I have found a schedule. I really used to post too much content. I was a 7-days-a-week blogger (and often 2X a day!). Now I don’t post on weekends. Weekends are for the family. Otherwise, I work too hard, and risk burning out. I try to post Monday through Friday, no later than 3 pm. On my Trail Cooking blog I try to get 2 posts a week in, with 3 my goal. Watch your stats, Fridays are often dead in comparison than others. When asked for advice on how much, enough to keep you active. Sporadic posts leave followers less likely to follow, too much and you risk overwhelming them. So I blog enough I stay excited!

Advice:

When it isn’t fun anymore, ask yourself why. Are you blogging for your fulfillment first? Or for attracting readers? If you love your work, it shows. Interact with your readers and followers. Treat them as friends. Don’t let Debbie Downers slow you down. It isn’t very professional, but I’ll admit I mock men on my other blog’s Twitter page when they complain about my talking about my kids! I figure, they can go write their own blog. Like that’ll happen! But most of all, never forget that you have the coolest job out there: Blogger!