In-the-Moment Blogging: On Making the Most of Opportunities

*In-the-Moment Blog posts are written during my morning coffee and are not planned or organized. They are clearly off-the-cuff and in-the-moment.*

I am currently reading a book by Linda Lovely. She has an awesome series that features a goat farm. While I was reading last night, my mind wandered to sheep. Then, to Moses. (Seriously, my mind can jump from one topic to another clearly unrelated one.) God asked alot of Moses, as well as others, but never really gave them much to work with. Think about it...all Moses had was a staff. Really? If I was asked to run from some heavily armed men and then create a path in the middle of the ocean when I can run no further, I would just die. Add to that a host of disobedient and complaining bunch of people? Nope! Not happening.

But, Moses worked with what he had and the rest is history.

When I thought about Moses (after the other random thoughts), I thought about my blog. Meager as it is, I really think God can use the platform to inspire others to read. See, God uses words to guide us and He has spoken to me through many books.

I started writing review many years ago, but only recently started sharing them with the public and on Goodreads.

I wanted to take things to the next level and get my reviews out to a larger audience. How was this going to happen? Well, I had to use what I had and share, to go after what I wanted.

I found out about linky parties and blog tours, some of which were more successful than others. But, each taught me something and I found my 'voice' and writing style. A few months later I went from 0 followers to 21. (Note: still at 21, but Bloglovin has grown to 54. Small victories.)

What does mean to you?

There are many opportunities and resources all around the blogosphere. With competition from the big bloggers, many companies, publishers, etc are looking for stats and volume. But, there are so many ways to reach your goals.

Do you want to see your articles, essays, or reviews in print? There are several online publications that accept submissions. And...they will share them as long as you follow their instructions. For example, uploading the correct file type is one requirement that is easily met. There are also some really great literary public relations companies that need reviewers. Let your mind envision all the possibilities. Then, grab one and brainstorm.

Do you want to increase the number of views for certain post types? Consider joining link-ups, blog hops, or linky parties. Sure, some may require you to share on social media (this rules me out, as I am no longer on FB, IG, or Twitter) and interact with other 'linkers'. But, this is not too much to ask for. So...think about your posts and categorize them. Then, use your go-to search engine and query 'linky party' or 'blog hop' with your post category. You are bound to find several. Filter out the outdated/no longer active ones and find out what you need to do.