What the fresh Hale is this about?

When I made a 2019 goal of starting a new blog and posting consistently to it, I knew it was going to be a challenge. I mean, why make a goal if achieving it doesn’t challenge you in the process?

Creating a blog was easy. The hardest part is figuring out what in the fresh hell you’re going to write about. Literally, ask any self-proclaimed writer and they will tell you the same.

I even started carrying a little notebook around for all of those “this would make a really great blog post” moments, so that I don’t forget the ideas that emerge from my daily life. (See cute notebook below. S/o to Cails for a solid birthday gift.)

A notebook fit for that grammar gargoyle in your life. :)

Though this notebook makes me feel more like a legit writer because it holds me more accountable to brainstorm ideas for blog posts, it unfortunately doesn’t help me write the actual posts. Plus, I have to admit that I live a pretty family friendly sitcom-esque life for the ripe age of 25. So, the lack of adventure and spice doesn’t necessarily help me generate hella exciting blog posts either.

However, since it’s been about a month since I’ve posted something (lol srry), I figured I’d write a blog post about how hard it is to write a blog post. (Shout out to my coworker Scott for the idea.)

Let me start by saying not only is it mildly intimidating to start your own blog because you’re putting yourself out there for the world to read, but there’s another element of pressure to write about topics people actually want to read (which is kind of the point of a blog). So, the fact that my life tends to have a spice level equivalent to parmesan garlic sauce on the Buffalo Wild Wings Sauce Scale, topics aren’t necessarily jumping out as much as I’d like.

Most people say you should write about whatever you want to write about. Although, I completely agree that the posts I publish to my blog shouldn’t be dictated by what I think other people would want to read, there’s still an element of wanting to make sure I provide some sort of value to those who read my blog.

So far, I’ve recorded the following potential blog post ideas in my handy dandy notebook:

Hale’s Kitchen - Minus Gordon Ramsey and more like a kitchenette considering my kitchen is a wall of my living room. This would be a series of recipe posts based off my experience of cooking for one. I’d share some of my favorite recipes that don’t result in wasting food when you’re trying to make meals small enough for one person that are worth the maintenance.
Dry Shampoo Reviews - Ya girl only washes her hair twice a week which means dry shampoo is a hair product I must always have on hand. As someone who has cycled through a few different brands, I can help those of you who are interested in washing your hair less by writing a review on various dry shampoos. :)
The Art of Self Control - It’s taken years of practice, but my self control as it relates to cravings, impulses and in-the-moment decisions is a bit stronger than most. For those of you who have a hard time putting the thin mints box away after smashing the first sleeve or tend to buy random things when you’re stressed, I have a few strategies to help strengthen your self control.
JOMO: You’ve probably heard of FOMO (fear of missing out), but have you heard of JOMO? (Joy of Missing Out.) I have a few friends who have a hard time saying no to plans because they don’t want to let anyone down, but in return, they burn themselves out. Ya girl has absolutely no problem turning down plans when it comes to self care and can explain why you should put your self care first too.
The Library of Unpublished Tweets - Though @hollatyoburrill was retired a few years ago, I think I’m funny and have a whole drafts folder of tweets that never saw the publish button. For example:

Personally, I think that’s a pretty solid list of blog topics However, even with a list of ideas, sitting down and actually writing the blog is a completely different ball game.

You have to plan out the flow of the blog, write and rewrite multiple versions of the same sentence or paragraph, constantly search on thesaurus.com for synonyms of words you’re repeating throughout the blog to make sure you’re not being too, well, repetitive, figure out where to put pictures and what pictures to use that will emphasize/add a strong visual component to the blog, etc.

Then there’s always that moment that you hit the halfway point of the blog post where you wonder “is this really worth the publish button?” and second guess everything you just spent 2 hours writing and rewriting.

There’s also the times where writer’s block becomes so frustrating that alternative creative routes are pursued such as sipping on some black cherry White Claws to relax the Type-A side of you that causes so many overly-critical writing road blocks. (Do not judge or @ me on that one. I know y’all used to write some of your best papers in college after pint night.)

Anyway, to wrap up this blog about not knowing what to write about on my blog, please let me know if you have anything you’d like me to write about. All suggestions are welcomed and appreciated, and I promise to publish more consistently. :)

Until next time, I’ll leave you with this photo of me from today because I think I’m finally perfecting the art of the “wavy-curl hair” and just want it to be seen by other people lol… pz out.