PART B: You, the Blogger
Reflect on your development as a blogger
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I have gone from blog pleb (an inexperienced grade ten) to blog pro (an experienced grade twelve.) As with writing itself, blogging is a craft that takes practice in order to perfect. And three years of practice has allowed me to do just that. It is finally safe to say that I definitely (100%) know how to navigate my way around tags, categories, the publishing process in general and just about anything else the blogging process entails. There was a time, however, when I was completely lost when it came to all of these things. But, now, due to the experience and skill I have cultivated as a blogger, the tables have turned; I am, instead, able to assist new creative writers in the navigation of their blogs. In other words, the blogging process has made a teacher (to a certain extent) out of me.
How would you critique your blog?
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Glows: As I had noted in Part A, when it comes to the visual arts, I am typically not very skilled. However, through the blogging process, I have embraced my inner designer and have found that I actually have a flair when it comes to coordinating and organizing aesthetics. I am especially proud of my gifs, which I feel, due to their amination, help bring life to my words, which, in the literal sense, are technically inanimate. Then there is my writing itself, which I consider to be relatable, stylistic, cohesively structured, and professional in the sense that my work is typically very polished.
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Grows: For one thing, when I find the time, I would like to look over my older pieces from grade ten and eleven and re-write them. This is because, since grade ten and eleven, my writing has improved substantially, and I want all of my pieces to reflect my current skill and style; I do not want there to be any discrepancies between my work, in the sense that some pieces might appear to be well written while some might appear to be mediocre. I am merely striving for consistency where this matter is concerned.
Speaking of consistency, it has only been over the course of this last semester that I have taken the initiative to formally cite my image sources using MLA format. In the past, I had just copied and pasted the link from which a given source was originally obtained. So there are still some older pieces that are missing the formality associated with proper citation. This is also something I need to fix, so as not to compromise the professionality I want my blog to represent.
Then there is the condition of my past reading ladders, which, unlike my 2018 reading ladder, are fairly scare in terms of breadth in depth. Again, for the sake of consistency, I would like to amend my previous reading ladders so that they, too, contain the same amount of detailed reflection that my current reading ladder does.
What will you do with your blog after this course?
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I will absolutely continue to blog even though this will be my last time taking this course due to my graduating and all. This is because, until I am able to officially publish my poetry via a publishing company, blogging is going to be imperative in the sharing and of my work. However, it is likely that I will change my blog to a WordPress. Since Edublogs is sponsored by WordPress, my blog will essentially maintain the same look and feel. The only difference will be a WordPress URL as opposed to an Edublogs URL. I just think that WordPress will come across as being more professional and less “high school” to potential publishers, if that makes sense. And, if my blog is no longer connected to the school, I will not have have to censor my writing or the images I choose to attach to my writing. More freedom is a definite perk here.
Which student blogs would you continue to follow?
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Hope Van Der Merwe–Poems a Dead Girl Work
Ziyana Kotadia–Where the Wisteria Blooms
Lauryn Bitterman–Compartmentalism
Liza Makarova–A Magnificent Kind of Madness
Claire Pitman–Claire is in Space
What professional bloggers have you explored?
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Simply click on a given image to access the site from which it was originally obtained. 🙂
