After blogging for 7 years, I have finally decided to take it seriously.

Saturday morning I headed off, very excited to attend my first writing workshop with LadyBloggersZA. 

I was heading into unknown territory but I had a copy of the google maps and the directions were in my phones GPS (one would assume that was enough). I followed the google maps, all was going well until I reach a fork in the road and neither of the roads were named. Obviously the direction-less idiot in me went the wrong way. I was still pretty chilled though, I reverted to the GPS on my phone because that actually knews where I was. Fast forward and I found myself near the Oriental Plaza (which is no where near where I needed to be). I was, by now, getting slightly tense because I was now running out of time and my GPS was picking up about 537 Kruger Streets in Joburg, I tried another one and end up in Empire Road (familiar territory) but then my GPS wanted to take me back onto the highway to go back to where I just came from (HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE). I pulled over, called David and asked for help. While talking to him, a bakkie comes extremely close to me, I thought he was going to ask me if I needed help but then noticed the camera man on the back of the bakkie. I had managed to stop in the middle of a race that was being filmed!

David helps me as best he can but after driving around Joburg CBD for about 20 minutes (I am now late), fighting with him and almost giving up and go home, I phoned, Zaahira the organiser of the event, who did her best to help me but when she lost me when she said head west! As I sit here at my desk I have no idea where North is, so there was no way I was ever going to know which way west was in the middle of Joburg’s CBD! Eventually, after I think she heard I was one more direction away from a full blown meltdown, she sent me her location and my GPS managed to get me there (after taking me around the block a few times)!

I was only 30 minutes late but I was there.

It was totally worth the frustration, tears and wasted petrol though. Stacey Vee, owner of Content Candy and blogger at Living Lionheart ran the workshop and it was a pretty basic introduction into writing covering things like writing a good headline, good intros and some info of SEO. There was a lot I knew but there was a lot more I didn’t and the discussions generated were really great, it is always great to hear what other bloggers are experiencing. I am not going to go into the detail of what we discussed but will be sharing a few tips and blog posts on BlogShareConnect based on some of the topics that we discussed, mainly in relation to dealing with PR companies and brands.

You may be wondering why I decided to go on a writing course since I have been blogging for over 7 years. Bloggers aren’t necessarily writers. Yes, they may have the interest in writing but the bulk of bloggers I follow, have no actual qualification in writing. I certainly don’t. I have written a few articles for Your Baby but I still cringe at the first article I pitched to Jenny. It was terribly written because I can hash out a blog post but I am still learning how to write properly.

I love blogging. I love what harassedmom has become. I love being a mommy blogger (I am possibly the only mommy blogger who wears that badge with pride). I work really hard on this blog. I have reached the point where I don’t want to just write posts in 5 minutes because it is 20h00 and I haven’t posted yet today so I quickly pull something together. I want to start taking the content I post here seriously because I want my blog to generate income and I want to work with brands.

At the workshop we were asked if we are Newborn, Toddler, Teenager or Adult bloggers. I think this change is me going from a reckless, thoughtless, lazy teenager to an adult. I have a lot to think about in terms of what I post, when I post and how I post it. It is not as easy as it sounds because for 7 I have really been blogging on the fly but I really do, now, need to get some structure and a plan of sorts in place.

It was a really great workshop that was well run and I definitely suggest if you are a blogger that you join the LadyBloggers mailing list and join in any future workshops, they are well worth it.

As I turned the corner to get to my car I walked slap bang into the filming of a advert, with Davids car playing a rather vital extra, which meant that I couldn’t leave until they had finished the shot because the car was pretty much the backdrop. It was nothing if not a fun morning.