The Write Moment: In Restropect, A Year Later

Greetings #JustWrite family! This month marks one year for The Write Moment blog. Thank you to those who have been engaged and a part of #JustWrite's growth. It has been such a blessing to serve as the blogmaster, which has been an amazing growth experience and journey for myself, personally and professionally.

To commemorate The Write Moment's one-year anniversary, I want to share my testimony of how #JustWrite helped me to push past my fears and comfort zone to develop my gift of writing.

As I stated at the first Just Write meeting, my writing journey began at age 13 when my mother presented me with my first journal. From that moment, I began journaling as a way to express my daily thoughts about life and anything else I was dealing with. Writing was an escape for me and very therapeutic. In 2005, I discovered Facebook and MySpace. It was through MySpace that I would have my first blog. Between classes and socializing (I was in my sophomore year of college then), I would only write when I had the time. Once I graduated from college (2008) and began working (2009), the writing slowly stopped. I didn't desire to write/blog again until about 2012 when I created two blogs on Tumblr (picture blog before Instagram) and Blogger (Google platform). By that time, I was in graduate school almost done with my Master's and freelancing as the CEO/blogger for ROAR, a non-profit I connected with through a random request from a former church member. Also, I was going through a transition period at work. The following year, my job ended and I was unemployed. During that season of unemployment, I finished my Master's and my heart went back to reading and writing, my first loves.

Fast forward to 2014, I'm working with the school system as a substitute teacher and a contract accounting job. I remember having a conversation with a brother in Christ about my love for blogging and just business in general. He suggested that I connect with the EICC group on Facebook and to connect with Kim in regards to writing. I did and that's how I learned about Just Write. I finally met Kim in person and she shared with me the vision of Just Write. Prior to our first Just Write meeting in May 2014, I remember being excited that God connected me with like-minded individuals who shared the same passion for writing as I did. I admit at my first meeting with Just Write, I was nervous. At that point, I hadn't shared my writings with anyone. I didn't have any goals in mind; I just appreciated the fellowship. I remember thinking to myself, "I'm not a published author and I'm not solely here to learn how to profit from writing books." "I just want to learn more about the writing industry and understand the gift God gave me." A part of me felt fearful and inadequate because of what I was seeing in my own experience. What I didn't know was that my expertise in blogging would bring me to where I am today. From that first meeting, research, and prayer, I was inspired to rename and revamp my blog on Blogger and as Kim would say, "be intentional" about my writing. I had to push past my fears and vulnerability to share those stories as God led me. In my obedience, I graciously accepted the assignment to be the blogmaster for The Write Moment, which has helped me to utilize and grow my writing skills.

This past year has been an exciting journey to learn from other writers and business owners about their testimonies, writing projects, and their faith in God. Speaking of faith and writing projects, I stepped out on faith this summer and began working on a Just Write devotional as a source of encouragement for writers. The process of writing it has been fun. I can't wait to share it in due time. In the meantime, I'm looking forward to continuously growing and learning more as a writer/blogger. Thank you Just Write for the encouragement, love, and stories.

As a thank you, I would like to offer tips on how to start a blog:

1. Choose your preferred blogging platform; Blogger, Tumblr, WordPress are the top 3 platforms

     a. WordPress, biggest platform used; numerous plug-ins, free themes, and layouts
     b. Blogger, platform under Google; next best thing to WordPress.
     c. Tumblr, half social network, half blog.  Interactive and simple to use.

2. Self-hosting or a free alternative?
    a. Self-hosting (buy domain)
         Your blog will read as YourName.com;  there is ownership of blog. Hosting can start at $4/month
    b. Free hosting; your blog will read as: yourblog.wordpress.com, yourblog.google.com, or yourblog.tumblr.com. Some platforms offer no monetizing (Google offers AdSense) and there's no ownership of blog.

3. Start a blog on own domain.
    - Domain is the URL of website
    - Hosting is the company that puts your website on the internet.

Example: iPage, hosting is less than $3/month; domain is free.

Some domains are about $12/year outside of hosting fees.

4. Designing your blog.
    -choose a theme and template

    -choose colors that reflect personality, business, etc.

    -choose images

5. Resources for bloggers

Articles for beginners
-5 beginning blogging mistakes you can fix

- Choosing a blogging niche

- How We Communicate: FAQs for beginners

- 7 ways to boost your success as a blogger

Many of you have asked about blogging so I pray that these resources and tips are helpful for you. For more info, feel free to connect with me via email and social media:

Email, divinegift777@gmail.com

Facebook, Lequvia K. Ousley

Twitter,  @Quvia777

Instagram, @divinegift317

Personal blog, www.divinegift317.blogspot.com

Website, www.divineblogger777.com

Remember, in order to capture The Write Moment, you have to Just Write!!

God bless,

~Lequvia Ousley~