My Life as a Blogger

Here is how I came to decision to become a blogger. It probably was the most appropriate things to choose for me. I have no regrets, but furthermore I'm truly happy with my choice.

I have had many love/hate relationships in my life. I loved almost everything about college and grad 

school, but I hated certain courses, tough deadlines, and statistics; I loved teaching English at the high 

school and college levels, but I sometimes hated grading all of the essays and papers. And I love being a 

blogger, but I certainly have expressed hatred when a deadline looms and my research is not completed 

or my writer’s block has set in. 

How it all Started

I was not looking for a position as a blogger; in fact, several years ago, I had no idea what a blog was. I 

was a happy retiree, writing the “Great American Novel,” eating bon-bons, watching episodes of 

“Harry’s Law,” (I’m still angry over its cancellation), and flirting with some ways to supplement my pitiful 

retirement income. Putting an ad on Craigslist for freelance writing brought in a few gigs �" a law firm 

wanted me to write a website article on the new real estate bailout program for people facing 

foreclosure; a college senior needed help writing his medical school admissions essays; and a local 

entrepreneur wanted me to write a blog post on motorized shades for a home décor retailer. Blog post? 

Motorized shades? I accepted the task and then, of course, had to find out exactly what a blog post was. 

Thank God for Google!

Of course, this was in earlier days of blogging, but my research at least defined the term, and I was able 

to read some great and entertaining example blog posts. And I set out to make motorized shades a 

really exciting topic of interest. The guy must have like it, because I soon began to get more tasks �" 

writing posts on subjects about which I knew absolutely nothing.

My “Career” Begins to Take Off

The first year of blogging was when the love/hate began to kick in. Here I was, writing posts about art, 

inspiring books, heavy construction equipment, float trips (I hate camping �" too many bugs), places to 

visit in Indonesia, wedding photography in Australia, online gambling, and even high-priced escorts who 

would travel internationally with wealthy businessmen! I wrote about real estate, landscaping, 

annuities, and interview skills; I wrote about natural medicines, herb gardens, and home remodeling; I 

wrote about writing. I felt harried and harassed, doing research, so that I could write with some 

intelligence on the subject, and meeting deadlines that were always “urgent.” And a strange thing 

happened �" I began to love everything about blogging (well, almost).

My Love Affair with Blogging

This career that I did not consciously choose has become for me a great window into worlds that I have 

never known or understood. Here is what blogging has done for me:

1. It has maintained my passion for writing �" it is quite literally what I do now, and whenever I 

meet a stranger at a party or at a meeting, and I am asked what I “do,” I always reply, “I am a 

writer.”

2. It has forced me to learn more about my craft. When I began to blog, I knew nothing of 

WordPress, about keyword terms and “stuffing,” about meta-descriptions, about SEO, about 

links to social media, about structures and style that make blog posts effective and engaging. 

And I am still learning �" something that keeps me alert, curious, and at my laptop a lot. 

3. It has forced me to research subject matter that I would never have researched on my own. The 

knowledge that I have gained as a result of blogging is really awe-inspiring to me. I find myself 

being able to converse on almost anything. Admittedly, I do not have much occasion to talk 

about expensive escorts, but I can name plants that, when placed around pools, repel bugs; I 

can speak to the content of inspiring contemporary books; I can talk about content marketing, 

about current mortgage loans, about property management, and, yes, even about window 

shades, mattresses, and patio restoration. I can speak to stress reduction and time 

management, and I can give advice to women juggling careers and family. And the joy is this �" I 

will continue to learn, every day, as I take on more blog post tasks.

4. It has forced me to dig deep into my being to be more creative, to massage my style and 

language for specific audiences, to look for humor and poignancy in this vast human experience, 

and, I hope, to provide education, information, and entertainment to readers. 

5. It has allowed me to set my own schedule, to stay up all night if I am immersed in my writing, to 

nap during the day when I am on overload, to accept and reject task assignments as I wish, to 

get excited about learning new things, and to nurse my great love for writing.

Truly, blogging is my calling. While I may hate the occasional writer’s block and the urgent, almost 

impossible deadline, I cannot think of any other way that I would wish to spend my time. A well-known 

saying comes to mind: “Doing what you love is freedom; loving what you do is happiness.” I have both!

Author's Note

I currently work as a blogger for Assignment Mountain. Also I'm a contributor to a various websites. You connect with me at Google+, Facebook and Twitter