My Writing Process

When I’m reading other blogs, I always find the different writing styles and voices of each blogger to be fascinating. Some bloggers are very to the point, and can feed me with a sea of information in just a few paragraphs, while others write with pure passion, and you can just tell that they put every part of themselves into their work. Everyone has their own way of speaking through text, and I’m here to share mine with you today!

Earlier this week, I was tagged by Gina from Gina Alyse in a blog tour that aims at connecting bloggers and allowing us to give our readers the inside scoop of what goes on behind the screen. Some of you may have heard about Tour Through Blogland (which I’ll be participating in next week!), and this is basically the virtual version of it!

1. What am I working on?

At the moment, I’m basically working on getting my life together, and unfortunately, that’s included spending less time blogging. Not because I don’t like it! Blogging is absolutely one of my favorite things to do, which is why despite the chaos of starting my first semester in college, I’m doing my best to put up at least 2 posts a week. At first, the idea of lowering blogging in my priorities wasn’t something I wanted to do. But now that I’m spending more time focusing on school and getting involved around here, I’m finding so many new forms of inspiration that will give me an endless pool of topics to write about when I do have time! I’ve been joining clubs like SWE (Society of Women Engineers) and WECE (Women in Electrical and Computer Engineering), as well as other groups like Freshmen Founders (a group for freshmen who are interested in entrepreneurship and startups). I’m really excited about that last one, because if I get in, I’ll be able to learn from some amazing mentors about developing my own startup, which would be pretty dang awesome! Surprisingly, I still manage to find some free time to just sit down, have some coffee, and catch up with friends. Living on campus has its perks!

2. How does my work differ from others of its type/genre?

I’d consider Seeking Individuality to be your typical lifestyle blog, with a few spin-offs based on my personal interests. I really like using this blog as a way of sharing what I’m up to, what I’m thinking about, and how I’m making the most of my time to do the things I love. But it’s also a great place to inspire others and share about the things I learn, which is why I enjoy posting blog tutorials and other DIY projects as well. I believe that it’s my content’s wide variety, as well as the influence of being in college and constantly learning/discovering new things, that sets my blog apart from the rest.

3. Why do I write what I do?

One of the main reasons I started blogging was to document my life in one organized place. I realized early on that Seeking Individuality would become much more than that though! Now, I write to share my thoughts in the hope of inspiring others, as well as myself, to go after what they want and live a life of creativity, faith, and individuality (hence the name!). I love sparking conversations between other bloggers, and seeing how my words affect others in this community. Interacting with other bloggers is so much fun for me, and it’s those connections that motivate me to write more and continue sharing the love!

4. How does your writing process work?

Finding inspiration is always the first step in my writing process. Sometimes I’ll sit down in one place for an hour or so just listing out post ideas, and other times I’ll have an idea come to me while I’m out walking, or sitting in class. I keep a huge list in my journal of things that have inspired me, which I go back to whenever I’m lacking creativity. When it’s time to get a post together, I just go for it. I like getting my posts done in one sitting, so my thoughts flow together well instead of sounding scattered. If I have a picture in mind already, I’ll usually edit that before writing the post, but I often end up taking a picture after writing the post to make sure it really captures what I wrote. After reading through it and making sure everything looks right in the preview, I schedule it right away so I don’t feel the need to go back and edit it. I love knowing I have a post ready to go, which doesn’t happen often for me!

Passing It Along:

I met all of these ladies through The Peony Project, which I don’t think I’ll ever stop talking about. I seriously meet everyone I work with there! I can’t wait to see their posts!

Britt from My Little Sunshines: Britt runs a lifestyle blog focused on family and the little moments that make her life grand!

Morgan from The True Life of KMK: Morgan’s blog is so cute! I’m in love with the color scheme and design. She posts about the journey and adventure of everyday life. My kind of blog

Kelly from I Am Kelly: Kelly blogs about her life as a student and wife, as well as her search for delicious food. I love the simplicity of her design, and food posts are always good!

101 in 1001

After seeing this challenge on a few of my favorite blogs like Wetherills Say I Do and Oh Simple Thoughts, I thought starting one off on my first day of college would be a fun idea! I love lists, and I have at least 5 going on any given day, but this one trumps them all. I figured this list would give me a boost of motivation to get these things done, and it’s an organized place to come back to and see what I’ve accomplished over the years. I’ll tell you one thing though, coming up with 101 things was so much harder than I thought! After about 40, I started struggling, so this was a week-long process.

Start Date: August 27, 2014
End Date: May 24, 2017

Seeking Individuality
1. Attend a blog conference
2. Make my sponsorship program more organized
3. Post 2-3 times a week consistently
4. Write a guest post
5. Have a blogging tips series
6. Post a monthly goals update
7. Redo blog design
8. Host my own giveaway
9. Make a recipe post
10. Reach 500 Bloglovin’ followers
11. Make a vlog post
12. Blog about my dream job
13. Have a guest blogger
14. Meet a blog friend in real life
15. Make an inspiration board for my blog

Design & Business
16. Design 10 blog templates
17. Sell a blog template
18. Sell something on Etsy
19. Help someone start a blog
20. Have my own business card

Friendship
21. Go on a coffee date every week for a month
22. Live in an apartment with friends
23. Send a care package
24. Buy a personalized gift for someone
25. Send 10 letters to friends/pen pals
26. Surprise a friend with food
27. Spend a Christmas with friends
28. Sell fireworks at a stand with my friends
29. Buy coffee for a friend
30. Pull an all nighter with a group
31. Take a friend out on their birthday
32. Play a round of golf with my friends
33. Make a new friend
34. Make a canvas for someone

Local
35. Attend an outdoor concert
36. Splurge on a fancy dinner downtown
37. Get involved with a church in Austin
38. Have a picnic on the campus lawn
39. Find a favorite local coffee shop
40. Go kayaking on Town Lake
41. Try 20 new restaurants
42. Go SUPing on Town Lake
43. Attend ACL
44. Attend SXSW
45. Eat at a Farmer’s Market
46. Attend a tailgate party
47. Find 10 favorite study spots

Travel
48. Visit Enchanted Rock
49. Visit three new places
50. Go on a beach trip
51. Go camping with friends
52. Go on a road trip with friends
53. Take a hiking trip
54. Attend WGI Championships

Fitness & Health
55. Have a consistent workout routine
56. Run a 5K
57. Run regularly
58. Do yoga every day for a month
59. Stretch to my splits
60. Take a group exercise class
61. Go without fast food for 30 days
62. Only drink water/tea for 30 days

Adding On
63. Buy Photoshop
64. Buy a personalized camera strap
65. Buy a camera bag
66. Buy a pair of Ray Bans
67. Buy a piece of jewelry on Etsy
68. Buy something from a blog friend’s shop

Misc. Goals
69. Complete 52 week money challenge
70. Save money for Christmas gifts
71. Have a DIY day
72. Reorganize computer files
73. Make decent macarons
74. Grow my own herbs
75. Take a photography class
76. Inspire someone to do 101 in 1001
77. Make a pie at Thanksgiving
78. Make a movie soundtrack playlist
79. Bake a cake from scratch
80. Bake something in the campus kitchen
81. Get 20 free t-shirts
83. Cover my bulletin board in photos/artwork from friends/family
84. Take a calligraphy class
85. Finish a series on Netflix

Personal
86. Learn how to use my camera
87. Volunteer
88. Get better at Spanish
89. Read 10 books
90. Celebrate my 19th birthday
91. Celebrate my 20th birthday
92. Celebrate my 21st birthday (!!!)
93. Learn some common phrases in sign language
94. Same as above, but with Korean
95. Learn how to play poker
96. Get a job
97. Complete freshman year
98. Complete sophomore year
99. Complete junior year
100. Learn a challenging piano piece
101. Learn how to play ping pong (and actually be good)


College Blog Hop: Moving In!

These past few days have been extremely chaotic, but I’m finally moved into my dorm! I’m so happy with the way everything turned out, and it’s a well needed change from my cluttered desk back home. I’ve had hardly any time to get this post together with so much going on down here, but I couldn’t miss the last day of Destination College! It’s been so great to see all the posts you girls have been putting up, and they’ve been so helpful! Let’s make this one even better! 

Link Up Your College Life Blog Posts!

Welcome to Destination: College – A Blog Hop! Join Caro from The Caro Diaries, Jessica from Seeking Individuality and Gina from Gina Alyse as we talk about everything college this month! Link up your college posts (past or present) and find different perspectives about college life through this blog hop. Join us every Monday throughout August to see what tips, advice and real life stories bloggers have to share! 
The linkup will stay up the whole week until the next one goes live the next Monday, so you can link up with us everyday!

The Rules:

1. Follow your hosts below:
Caro @ The Caro Diaries | Gina @ Gina Alyse |  Jessica @ Seeking Individuality
2. Link up your posts about college life!
3. Click over to at least two other blogs and leave a comment to share the love and learn more about their college experiences!
4. Use the hashtag, #CollegeBlogHop to share the linkup below or grab a button below to use on your blog!

Click to Tweet: “Join us in #CollegeBlogHop to share tips, advice + real life about college! #CollegeTips goo.gl/RNzBKF”
Click to Tweet:  “College Bloggers: Link up with #CollegeBlogHop to share everything college w/ @GinaAlyse @thecarodiaries @S_Individuality goo.gl/C938Zl”