Blogging seems an appropriate word for an A-Z Blogging Challenge. Why is this post called “Blogging! Bananas!?” Because I’m sitting here at 5:20 AM badly wanting a banana. I can’t explain it, besides to say when I played around unsuccessfully with Canva this morning, a monkey mysteriously appeared in the “charge” box. I scraped that, because I didn’t want to pay $1 for a monkey who didn’t exist in my image. But ever since, I have wanted bananas. And guess what? No bananas. In my house, bananas either fester and grow black or they’re gone within a day. Sort of like blog posts. You either get a lot of hits or none at all, depending on so many factors: topic, tags, categories, advertising, marketing or just dumb luck.
I started seriously blogging about four years ago. When I say serious, I mean I tried to blog a couple of times a week. I’ve never made, or really tried to make money, on my blog. I blogged over at http://www.lululandadventures.blogspot.com/, which I’m sad to say I haven’t been updating recently. I need to, because I’ve changed that to my personal blog, and this is my writing blog. I came to blogging after years of ignoring an urge to write. I came to blogging to deal with the loss of my hair to alopecia areata. I’d had it as a child, but after I stopped breastfeeding my daughter I lost all my hair. At first, my blog was used as a cathartic release.
I feel like blogging gave me the stepping stone to start writing again. Once I started writing again, I had the motivation to start querying. When that didn’t work, I self-published. Now, one of my books is in editing with Booktrope, and I hope it’ll be published in May. All of this, because I had the courage to put myself out there and blog.
Lauren Greene, Author 
Congrats on putting yourself out there and taking a risk. You should be very proud of yourself for going after your dreams and making them happen. Have a great day, Cheryl
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Thanks Cheryl. It’s been quite the journey. But I’m loving the road.
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Lauren, I love the banana analagy – hopefully it will help me with those falling flat on their face blog posts.
I hope to love my road – my new road – as much as you are loving yours.
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Debs–thanks! I’m sure you will!
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Hi Lauren,
I’ve been reading your blog for about 4-6 weeks. I found you through someone else and I can’t even remember who.
I’ve been blogging off and on for 4 or 5 years as well. Sometimes it goes well and others not so much! Through you, I too, found this A to Z Challenge and am really hoping to complete it!
Banana’s do that in my house too – eaten without me getting one or they turn black (because I’m “going to use them in my smoothies just leave them” at which point 2 weeks later I am throwing them in the compost bin …. frustrating! lol
Keep up the good work!
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Michele, thank you for following my blog! I’m so glad you found the A to Z Challenge. This is my first year finding it. K L Phelps, over at 10 Minute Novelists, told me about it. I’ve just subscribed to your blog too!
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You’re great! Keep going! Blogging is amazing to vent and feel better! Many times I’ve used my pages for the same reason!
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Thanks Franny! I’m loving A to Z. It’s been inspiring thus far.
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I have one banana left which you would be welcome to if only I could find a way to tap it into the ether and onto your keyboard (preferably still in its skin).
Blogging. Ah, yes, my blog is a patchwork of posts and silences, but when I’m posting regularly, I have to say I’m a happier person, and my fiction writing tends to progress much more smoothly. The one feeds the other, at least for me.
I enjoyed your post and I’m clicking that enticing little “follow” button so I can read more from you. Happy A-to-Z-ing!
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Thanks Kern! I agree. Blogging helps fiction writing, infinitely. And I’m sitting here dreaming of that banana you possess! Thanks for following.
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I’m still not serious about blogging, lol. Still don’t feel like I know what I’m doing. But after reading your post I can’t get bananas out of my head! Well not bananas but the minions from Despicable Me yelling BANANA!!
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I love that minion! And it sort of goes with your “bad guy” post, although minions are too cute to be really bad!
And you’re doing a great job. It is similar to writing a journal. I am loving A to Z because I’m reading so many blogs I wouldn’t know about otherwise!
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