Who Inspires You?

When I started blogging at Wine Scamp, I had a number of topics in mind. I wanted to write about wines I was drinking, to encourage people to become their own wine authority, and to post about wineries I found interesting. But once I had written about most of those things (a couple times), I hit a bit of a wall. I was a little bored with my topics, I wasn’t getting many readers, and I couldn’t think of interesting new material. Argh!

I’m very glad that I didn’t just throw up my hands and quit blogging at that point. (Lots of people do.) Instead, I did a quick search for “wine blog” and started reading other people’s stuff. I commented on the articles I found interesting or funny. Sometimes a comment conversation would inspire me to write a post. The bloggers whose work I had commented on visited my blog and commented on my posts, too. I’d even make notes about types of articles that didn’t really engage me, and resolve to write about those subjects differently, or not at all.

The more I read other people’s work (like Vinography and Good Wine Under $20, for example), the more ideas I had percolating in my head. And the more I interacted on other people’s sites, the more visitors I had at my blog. I even started to make friends with other wine bloggers, which definitely made blogging more fun.

I don’t blog about wine as regularly as I used to, but reading other people’s work continues to inspire me. Reading the blogs by our fantastic Press Publish speakers (both Portland and Phoenix) has definitely inspired me to post more often on my personal (mostly photo) blog!

What bloggers do you read regularly? What sites inspire you to blog more?

 

Comments

  2. Of course, I am immediately off to check out the blog with ‘Good wines under 20 dollars’. Thank you for the link. Can someone write a blog called: “Good wines under 20 dollars without pictures of animals on the label and found in the grog aisles in mid west supermarkets?” I would read that blog.
    Who do I read regularly?.. an interesting question.. rather an eclectic bunch actually. Honest people. Well written. Not too long. Short words. Long pictures. Current. And it is interesting how often I go to write a comment and find myself using that comment to spark a discussion on my own pages. Very good point Andrea. See you soon.. c

    1. Ha, Cecilia, I hope you enjoy Deb’s excellent blog — I wish she were still posting to it, but it’s still a great resource!

      “Not too long” is an interesting point. I tend to write more than I probably need to on my own sites, but I really like reading shorter pieces, myself. And gorgeous photography is always a plus! 🙂

  3. It’s funny how it happens, but it seems a natural tribe emerges here. I’ve been lucky to hook up with other writers and it seems we are a group of mid 40s limping zombie types who share interests in parenting, music, sometimes reading difficult books. I did go offline with a few of these blogger friends and that’s really gratifying, as you mention Andrea. It does become a community that way. I’ve befriended a Canadian author at Drinking Tips for Teens whom I love, and a smattering of good people all around the world. And to your point, it’s really cool when you can start riffing off each other and have ideas spark other ideas. My Canadian friend Ross actually gave me a blog post title and a kind of assignment/challenge once, about a book we’re reading together. Looking forward to this weekend! I’ll be down there at the conference and can’t wait. Best, – Bill Pearse (Seattle)

  4. With a nursing, aging, and some personal illness background, I love reading how older folks are dealing with the challenges of aging. You are right. There is a community out there! I also like travel blogs covering places new to me. I started my blog promoting my nursing memoir, but now blog on whatever comes up, often photos from my city of Chicago. Blog on!!

Comments are closed.