Why I Write

The lovely Robyn from Mrs D plus 3 invited me to take part in this latest blog hop, talking about why we bloggers write as we do. 

What am I working on?

I've got a few things on the go at the moment.  I've been meaning to start a monthly newsletter for ages, everything is set up in Mail Chimp and I've been collecting subscribers – I just haven’t produced the first newsletter - but I'm determined to get it out on 1^st July.

There’s an ebook in the works too – it’s a techie guide, but I'm not going to tell you exactly what – you’re going to have to wait to find that out.

 

I like to add a new How-To Guide each month to the collection on the blog, so I've got two half- finished that I'm working on.  Usually they will be guides on how to use a particular program, or a particular online tool.  I'm open to ideas, so if there’s something techie that you’d really like to know how to do – just let me know.

Apart from writing for Techie Mum, I am also a trainer, teaching courses in how to use computers and associated software.  I've just taught my last class of the term today, so I've now got the school holidays to prepare for next terms classes.  When courses repeat each term there’s not too much preparation, but next term I've got a new course in Windows 8, so I'm just starting on designing that at the moment, and, of course, Facebook is always making changes, so I need to check if my Facebook for Beginners manual needs updating.

How does my writing differ from others in its genre?

In America there are a quite a few technology blogs written by women, but in Australia the majority of bloggers in the technology genre are men who write about the specifications of the latest devices, the latest computer games and coding.  There are a few blogs written by women that occasionally feature techie topics, but Techie Mum is aimed at families, with articles and reviews aimed at the types of devices and techie tools that Mums, Dads and kids use.  

Why do I write what I do?

Techie Mum started as a place where my students could get more information about the topics they were learning about.  If there was some information I wanted to give them at the end of the course I didn’t want to have to post it out to them, so I would add links to the documents on the blog, where my students could download or print those they needed. 

I started adding articles about technology to the blog, and soon discovered I really enjoyed researching and writing about techie topics.  The favourable comments I was receiving helped me decide to turn Techie Mum into a real blog – but still with a page where my students could go for their documents.

I have always loved technology, and love finding out about new devices, apps and online tools.  Techie Mum is where I can share all the techie things I find – news, new apps and gadgets, and hopefully help my readers by answering their questions and solving some techie problems for them.

How does my writing process work?

I try to post at least twice a week, but as I'm not writing about something I'm personally experiencing or about my family, the process of writing each post can take a bit of time.   Usually the inspiration of what to write will be based on something techie in the news, a new gadget, or answering a question or problem from a reader.  Because a lot of my posts are technical I’ll always research the topic, even if it’s one I know very well, just to make sure that what I'm writing is current and accurate.

I’ll spend some time every day catching up on the latest technology news.  Whenever I find something I’d like to know more about, write about, or keep for future reference, I’ll add them to Pocket.  Because I've got Pocket on my PC, iPad and phone I can catch up on some of my reading wherever I am.  If an idea for a blog post comes to me when I'm out I’ll usually jot down the idea quickly in Word on my phone, saving it to OneDrive, which means I can continue the post when I get back home to my computer.  I've got a lot of half-started posts! 

I now need to pass you over to some other lovely bloggers, and next week you’ll be able to read about why they write.

 

Jane from The Hesitant Housewife writes very honestly about her sometimes bumpy life, about being a wife, and a mum to a gorgeous daughter diagnosed with ASD.  Her posts are so enjoyable to read, and I've found they make me really think and reflect on my own life.

Holly from Simplify.Create.Inspire writes about her journey towards a simplified life, with posts about crafts, recipes, and family; but also really thought provoking posts and the dreaded work/life balance.  Holly’s is one of those blogs that once you discover it, you end up spending hours reading through her old posts.