Hey yall, it's Day 4 of the ABEA, and yes I do know I missed Day 3. I had to study microeconomics. I also had to take a placement test for math and English for college next year. I got a 100 on my writing test, and did well on the prealgebra, but not very well on algebra. So I didn't test into College Algebra, but Elementary Algebra. So if I was to to take math I'd have to do a year rather than a semester. Thus, I'm not taking math. At least not this year. I might take EA over the summer--NEXT summer. Also have to learn how to drive so I can drive myself to school next year. I also registered for classes for fall semester--Oral Communication, College Composition, Pilates (have to take a PE credit, but it's Tuesday/Thursday for an hour in the evening), Biology 101, and Cornerstone. Cornerstone is a foundation class for fall, and in the spring I'll take Capstone (which is just the foundation class for the spring). So yeah, that's why I wasn't on blogger yesterday. I had to go to school, take the test, find classes online, register, go driving, and study. But school gets out next Friday, and I am so ready to be done.
I am going to say something now and only now that some people won't like, but may understand. I feel underappreciated due to a lack of commenting on posts and a lack of followers. I've been stuck at 82 followers for a while now and about a year ago I was stuck at 16 followers. It took me forever just to get 50. I have more people following me on twitter, than on A Book Crazy Jane Austen Lovin' Gal. Is my blog like not crazy, awesome, fun? And commenting--I have 170 post and 112 comments as of today. There are some posts I don't even think some people read. Which doesn't make sense to me. Because most likely if you are reading my blog, you like to read and/or are another book blogger. Thus, wouldn't you want to read and comment on my blog?!?! I almost always comment on other people's. As you can see I'm a part of the Comment Pact (down at the bottom of the page).
It's just frustrating, because I want to know that people are reading my blog. I want to be a bigger part of the blogging community and for people to appreciate all the hard work and effort I put into each post. And I don't always get that.
I love love love reading and blogging and all of you reading this made me love reading even more because of your blogs. You've taught me a lot about blogging. It's more or less I am one of you, and I want to belong with yall. Yall know the semantics (Jellicoe Road lovers, right?) be. long to be. a longing to belong. long to be. long to belong. To be to long. My frustration stems from a lack of connection that I feel for some reason, and I feel the need to address it. But don't take this too hard.
Okay, so on to today, Day 4 of the ABEA. The subject is "Beyond your blog" and here's the prompt/question.
Has blogging opened up opportunities for you beyond getting free, advance copies of new books? Has it helped you get offers to write or review elsewhere (maybe even for pay)? Have you gotten invites to special events or places you might not have been to otherwise? Today, we'd like you to talk about those opportunities in you own posts, and later this morning, we'll have a guest post from one of our own Armchair BEA team members, about her freelancing experiences.
I've never gotten free ARC, only Indie books or books from my library or bookmooch. Or Booksneeze. The only ARCs I ever got were The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott, which I got long after it had come out, and Thunder and Rain. I also recently got A Chance in the World that I requested for Booksneeze over a year ago and which they now just sent me. Now that it has come out.
I have also never gotten any other offers to write or review elsewhere. I blog because I love books (esp. Delirium #deliriumchat #twitter)
I want to be a writer and write tales as intriguing as those of my favorite authors: Lauren Oliver, Kristin Cashores, Tahereh Mafi, Suzanne Collins, Nicholas Sparks, Anita Shreve. I want to be a writer. I mean, I've been journaling since I was 12 years old, writing down stories before then. Stories that I've now thrown away. Some of them were lost ideas. But there are those tales that have stuck with me, stuck in my head. And I will write them down. I will write. I am already I a writer, and one day I'll be published. It's my dream, and in a way I'm livin' it and in a way I have yet to get there. But I'll get there.
It does not matter how slowly you go, but do not stop.--Confucius
So I guess overall I haven't gotten that many opportunities beyond my blog. But I have met some awesome people who I am now friends with on twitter. And I've gotten to know other blog writers--Eileen, Molli, Darlene, Tara, Katie, Becca. I've gotten to read some awesome books and find those awesome authors on twitter. I've gotten to participate in memes--What's happening? Mondays, Teaser Tuesdays, Tuney Tuesdays, Follow Fridays. And I think I'm better off because I blog. I think I'm a better writer because of it. I don't know where my blog is going to go. Honestly I don't think it'll last beyond 2014, but we'll see. Beyond my blog is me. And I'm a college student, a writer, a daughter, a friend, a Christian, a volunteer, a lover, a runner, an optimist. I'm a woman with my whole future ahead of me. And I have to go out there and grab ahold of me and let it shake me down to my roots and fill me with purpose.
