Hey, readers!
So, I’ve found that recently, It’s been really hard to write on my blog. In other words, I’ve been finding it hard to write blog posts. I think one of the major reasons is that I’ve been trying so hard to sound…
What’s the word?
Like an authority? I guess that’s it.
You know, since I took part in the CWIN Writing Creativity Challenge and got to meet a lot of other writers and really amazing, inspiring people, I realized that they were all ‘intentional’. And it was this word, ‘intentionality’, that pushed me into writing in a boring way, and that made me lose faith in those ideas that came to me naturally when I thought about writing. I’d always wanted to ‘give value’ and sound… ‘like I 100% knew about whatever topic I wrote on’.
And so, I changed – or at least began to change my writing style.
But the good thing about this phase is that I became a lot more active on social media, Facebook to be precise. And even though I wasn’t posting content on Ọlaedo, the blog’s Facebook page was (and is) frequently being updated and promoted.
But I believe I’m back to normal. After listening to a masterclass by Okoye Ijeoma Dicta, founder of CWIN Africa, for us members of her Inner Circle Program, the point she raised from a question I asked her, about ‘writing from daily experiences, not in a stiff way’ made me realise how much I’ve been trying to write in ‘one particular’, ‘stiff’ way.
So, in this period, a lot of things have changed about me, I daresay:
My writing style.🌺
It’s not a good thing, really, because in my case, my writing style is what makes me stand out, I daresay. I HATE boring articles without a few jokes or everyday lingo here and there. And in recent times, whenever I open a Word document to start a post, that’s exactly how I write.
The thing is just that I was trying to sound like an authority, and at the same time write about ‘intentional’ topics: topics that matter to people working to live purposefully. But I didn’t know that I was just being plain boring.
My fluency in typing with a PC.😩
Yes. Very, very, very, very, very sad to note.
Y’know, since I got my Android phone, I’ve been spending a lot more time on it, with researching, social media, etc. And although I still do not like typing/writing with a phone, I find that that’s the option I go for, because of its ease of access; my phone is always nearby.
And so, when I make out time to use my PC to write, I find myself just typing, hoping on autocorrect to fix my typos as I go!😂
It’s frustrating when I then remember that I’m on my PC, so no autocorrect. And I have to start correcting myself manually, because I don’t really use the Microsoft Word Spelling & Grammar feature!😬
And even when I code, typing regular text (strings) and even some syntax of the programming language has become a little less easy.😭
But using a PC to type, and using a PC in general will always be better for me. I always miss the Microsoft Word Thesaurus and synonyms/antonyms feature, because my phone’s notepad app doesn’t have something like that!
My blogging consistency.😥
Of course, this can be linked with my change in writing style and the feeling of my words no longer feeling ‘okay-enough’, but it’s also about the WordPress community.
About 99.5% of my blog traffic comes from social media, through the referrals I make to the blog. But from WordPress, I have little or no views.
I know that maybe it’s because I’ve been away for quite some time, but even when I try to reach out to my blogger friends, most of them just answer plainly.
And that aside, I don’t know if it’s just me, but the WordPress community is getting colder and colder. All the people who used to show up with tags and fun updates are either less frequent, or have taken long breaks away from this space.
The inconsistency is – was – there for some reasons, but I have faith that I’m back now. Back to my weekly posting schedule.😁
The part of my professional life I’m more focused on.🚀
Although I might have mildly been hinting it on this space, I’m an aspiring software engineer by profession. And ever since November last year, I’ve been taking some big-little steps towards networking with the right kind of people, and making some projects of my own. I even wrote an article about my tech journey for the Hashnode Dev Retro 2022 campaign here.
I’m also taking part in the 2023 Technovation Girls Challenge, as one of my big-little steps. I have a team, and we’re working hard.
Wish me luck!
So, expect to see posts from my tech journey, either in my monthly wrap-ups, or as individual posts.👩🏾💻
I believe that the beauty of Ọlaedo is in its teen voice. The fact that I talk about the lessons I learn from the different aspects of my life as a teen – and almost-adult – are the beauty of this blog, and any lifestyle blog, for that matter.
So, I, Vanessa, am all-rounder. I write, I code, and in recent times, make digital designs as well. It feels good to have it figured out now, because now I’ve acknowledged it, I can focus on what aspects of my professional life I want to make most important and spend the most time on. It’s a therapeutic feeling, really.😌
Look out for more of what has been, and more of things to come. I’m introducing a monthly spotlight where I’ll be doing collabs with peeps in different fields on not-so-boring topics.
Stay tuned. 🤗📺
Ọlaedo is on Facebook, feel free to surf on there and give the blog a follow for more updates. And if you’d like to reach out to me to be a part of this monthly spotlight, you can indicate in the comments, so the line-up can begin. In January, I spotlighted Happiness Uduak. We both took part in a collab post on a really interesting topic.
Stay motivated, 🔥
Ọlaedo 
Truly, I found your earlier posts to be more interesting than the later ones. Anyway I glad you’re back to writing freely. Writing does not have to follow rigid rules, you write as your mind wishes.
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