Image by Dean Meyers
via Flickr/Creative Commons

Today’s task for 31 Days to a Better Blog is for those of you who think you might need a change. Maybe you’re considering changing your blog platform or maybe you've been thinking about changing your blog’s title or URL. If you've decided a change is what you need, go for it!

But after you make this switch branding is going to become even more important for you as you try to market your new name. Lucky for you, on Saturday I participated in the monthly Twitter chat Blog Brunch and this month’s topic was Branding 101. Here are a few tips on how to build your brand.

Write a mission statement. I know you’re tired of me telling you this, but I’m not the only one who believes this is a good idea. So does Sarah Tolzmann (@notetosarah) of the blog Note to Self.  During Blog Brunch she tweeted “Your blog should have a mission statement, even if you keep it to yourself. It will help you decide if content is relevant.”  Remember, you can’t send a clear brand message to readers if you’re sure what your message is.

Be consistent. Having a mission statement will help ensure your message is clear, but you need a consistent writing style as well. You also need to make sure you’re consistent throughout your social media channels.  The author of the blog Sarah Hearts (@sarahkhandijan) tweeted “All social media pages should look like you! Your readers should instantly know by the look & content that it’s yours.”  I, for example, use the Twitter handle @writeousbabe and usually tweet about the same topics you’ll find on my blog – writing, blogging, feminism, fitness, and faith.

While consistency is key, don’t be afraid of change.  “I think your brand should maintain a common visual aspect – but it shouldn't hold you back from trying something new,” tweeted Katie (@mspinkandblue), co-founder of Blog Brunch.  Kait Kucy (@yuppielove) advised not changing your branding more than once a year. And most bloggers agreed that when you are making a change be sure it’s for a good reason and not simply just to follow a trend.

Network. Now that you've put all that work into crafting your message and polishing your blog’s look, you need to spread the word about who you are and what you’re all about. You need to network. Several bloggers from Saturday’s Blog Brunch agree that some of the best ways to market your blog and your brand include: commenting on other blogs, writing guest posts for blogs with a mission similar to yours, hosting events, attending conferences and, of course, using social media outlets such as Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

I’ve been thinking about branding a lot myself, lately. I've been considering changing the name of my blog, worried that “Writeous Babe” is too silly. What do you think? I’d love to get some feedback in the comments section.

Happy brand building! 

If you've been cruising down Lakeshore Parkway lately there's a chance you've pulled up next to a black Mazda 3 and caught a chick with big curly hair singing her heart out to the Alicia Keys song "Brand New Me."  That chick was me.

We're at the start of a new year and this is a time when many people start trying to make changes in their lives. As writers, we resolve to write a certain number of words each day, to read more, to blog more, and to be more aggressive in our efforts to get published. Then December rolls around and we haven't accomplished half as much as we had hoped. And this is usually the case with goals in other areas of life -- such as fitness and finances -- as well.

Where did we go wrong? Yesterday, my pastor had a pretty poignant message on this topic. He said that we ought to just start wishing one another a "Happy Improved Year!" instead of a happy new year because what we're trying do to with all our resolutions is change ourselves from the outside in instead of changing from the inside out. We're tying to do something different when we need to be someone different. Instead of improving the old you, become a new you. We need a New Year's revolution, not a New Year's resolution.

How do we do this? We must get centered. This will mean different things for different people, but it's imperative nonetheless. We must get focused on whatever is the cornerstone of our lives. Once we've done that we will want to do the things that must be done to accomplish our goals. It will no longer be a matter of wrestling with our wills to keep our resolutions to write daily or exercise five times a week. Once we're centered we will jump out of bed ready to write; we'll actually look forward to going to the gym.

For me getting centered means drawing near to God. It means praying constantly, reading Scripture daily, using my writing to encourage others, and forging meaningful connections with other women of faith. When I do these things I can feel myself transforming into the woman I'm meant be and I know that I will accomplish all this woman was meant to do.

This is all Jen Hatmaker's fault. 

I can't even remember how I stumbled up her book 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess, but it was around the holidays, a time of year when I always feel disgusted with consumerism and our society's (and my own) obsession with stuff. 

The book details Jen's attempt to fight greed, materialism, and overindulgence in hopes of living a more Christ-like existence. The idea was to choose seven areas -- food, clothes, spending, media, possessions, waste, and stress -- and spend 30 days on each topic boiling it down to the number seven. Only eat seven foods, only wear seven articles of clothing, and spend money in only seven places. Her plan also called for her to eliminate use of seven media types, give away seven things each day for one month, adopt seven green habits, and observe “seven sacred pauses.”




Am I doing Jen's experiment completely and to the letter? Hell to the no. 

But I am inspired to do some altered version of it in hopes that it will help me streamline my life so that I can spend more time, energy, and resources on things that really matter. And my prayer is that I will begin to look more like Jesus along the way. 

Hubster and I went out for Mexican food last night. I kept referring to this meal as
The Last Supper!

Just as Jen did, I'm starting with food. Jen's experiment was inspired by one of her friends who did a "Pick 5" fast. So since Jen added two items to her list, I'm going to add two to mine. (See, this is my problem. I'm such an American. Always trying to have more.) 

Also, I'm doing this for 21 days, not 30. Every January my church has what it calls 21 Days of Prayer -- a special time of prayer and fasting to kick off the new year. This year my plan was to fast sweets for 21 Days of Prayer, which began today. Then Jen Hatmaker came along and turned my world upside down and I've now decided to fast nearly all of the foods I love. 

For the next 21 Days I will only eat the following: 

• lean white meat and fish 
• green vegetables
• sweet potatoes
• apples
• eggs
• Greek yogurt
• peanut butter
• wheat bread
• almonds

This list is similar to Jen's but for meat she only allowed herself chicken and for vegetables she only ate spinach. Her list included avocado, which I replaced with almonds. I added Greek yogurt because one of my doctors has been encouraging me to eat this for breakfast for nearly a year. Peanut butter is here because a nutritionist in my favorite magazine recommended PB on wheat bread as a mid-morning snack. 

Jen only allowed herself to use salt, pepper, and olive oil to flavor to her food. She's a better woman than I am. I will allow myself to use some low fat, low calorie condiments, but in moderation and I won't be frying up any of meats on my list. 

As for beverages, Jen only drank water. I'm allowing myself green tea as well simply because I spend a lot of time in coffee shops meeting with fellow writers and working on my blog and I need to buy something in order to not feel guilty for taking up space and Wi-Fi. 

Looking at my plan you're probably thinking this won't be so bad because I have plenty of variety. If you're thinking that, you clearly don't know me well. My friends know that I believe the human body needs cheese more than it needs water and that I think most of life's problems can be solved with a cupcake. I could beat a 16-year-old boy in a pizza eating contest and I'm convinced the manna from heaven God sent down to the Israelites was some form of Mexican food. (Look out! It's raining chimichangas!) 

And for the next 21 days I can't have pizza, Mexican food, or sweets. Lord, help me. 

But, seriously, my prayer throughout my entire streamline project will be the same as Jen's:

"Dear Lord, may there be less of me and my junk and more of You and your kingdom."

And when I say less of me I mean that figuratively and literally. If I happen to streamline my waistline over the next 21 days I will be a very happy girl. 


This was cross-posted at Streamlined Birmingham, a new blogging project by myself and some other women in Birmingham who are also looking to streamline their lives in 2013. 

Today is Day 4 of 31 Days to a Better Blog. Today's task is to write a mission statement for your blog, a task that some of my blogging buddies have told me is quite daunting. And I get it. "Mission statement" sounds so big and scary. But it doesn't have to be. 

To start, ask yourself two simple questions: Why do I blog? and What do I want my readers to get out reading my posts? Your responses will quickly lead you to your mission statement. 

I blog because I want to express myself as a writer and because I want to empower other women with my words. I want my readers to leave my blog feeling a connection to me but also feeling inspired to go after their dreams and do what needs to be done to live their best lives. 

And if you're wondering if you need a mission statement for your blog, yes you do. This post from November explains why. In that post I shared a rough draft of my blog's mission statement and it hasn't really changed over the past two months. 

My blog's mission statement: 

The Writeous Babe Project is a blog about writing and women's empowerment. My blog is designed to help creative and goal-oriented women -- especially those who write and blog -- achieve their artistic ambitions and live their best lives. The Writeous Babe Project is also a feminist lifestyles blog, which means I address topics such as fitness, fashion, family, and faith, but from a feminist perspective.

For me, however, women's empowerment is more than a blogging niche; I consider it my life's work and my purpose for being on this planet. So I'm constantly thinking about how I can take my mission beyond the blog. 

Lately, I finally feel as if I'm doing just that and it's all thanks to See Jane Write. The sense of community we've been building lately has made me giddy with joy. Case in point, I spent yesterday evening with seven other women of the group having dinner and drinks at The Wine Loft, a popular wine bar here in Birmingham. The meetup was an impromptu one that came about Wednesday evening over Twitter. We spent three hours chatting about fitness, bad wedding experiences, movies, music, and so much more, and, of course, about writing and blogging.  At one point in the evening we all pulled out the notebooks (both paper and electronic) that we use to jot down ideas, which made for a great photo. 

Photo by Tanya Sylvan

So after you write a mission statement for your blog consider if there is a way you can reach out to your readers offline as well. I still believe that blogging is about people, not pageviews. 

You probably already know that Twitter is a great way to promote your blog and Twitter's latest look makes this even easier to do. If you haven't updated your profile since Twitter rolled out its new look, today is the day to do so.

With the addition of a header photo and the focus being shifted to the center of the page, branding just got easier. So here's what you need to do:

1. Choose a header photo. Twitter recommends the image have the dimensions of 1252 x 626. And I recommend you pick an image that somehow represents what you and your blog are all about. For example, my header is a cropped image of a journal cover I have, one with the image of a typewriter. If you have a graphic in the header of your blog, perhaps you could use that. 
2. Consider a new avatar. Your avatar is now more visible since it's centered. So choose a photo that you love and one that you will use on other social media networks too, as this helps with branding. Remember, as a blogger or writer, you are your brand.
3. Review your bio. Your bio is now part of this new header, which means it may get more attention than before. Independent Fashion Bloggers once gave good advice on how to write a great social media bio. They recommend that you share who you are and what you do and give a peek into your personality. (Click here to check out some examples.) My bio tells you that I'm a writer, blogger, teacher, and founder of See Jane Write. It tells you I'm a feminist and proud Southerner. And it reveals that fitness is a hobby of mine. And if you follow me on Twitter you know that these are exactly the things I typically tweet about and the topics you'll find on my blog. (What? You don't follow me on Twitter? Well, let's fix that now. You'll find me @writeousbabe.) 

I can't wait to see your new Twitter header. Leave a link to your Twitter page in the comments so I can check it out!

Image by Kelly Loughlin via Flickr/Creative Commons

I've said it again and again: you need an editorial calendar. 

Developing a weekly editorial calendar that is centered on the mission of your blog will help you beat blogger's block and post more consistently. If you find yourself sitting there staring at your computer not sure what to write for the next day just check your editorial calendar. It will help you focus on a particular topic and quickly come up with an idea for a post. 

While you have your blogging planner out, you may want to consider looking ahead and doing a bit of planning for the entire year. Make note of any special events you want to blog about. Or perhaps you may want to take on a special theme for certain months like something about Black History in February or Women's History in March. 




To develop your weekly editorial calendar, first, decide how often you can (realistically) post each week. Then decide on topics (related to your niche and your blog's purpose) for each day. 

Here's my new editorial calendar, which I plan to kick off in February after 31 Days to a Better Blog. 

• Monday -- Monday Motivation: On Mondays I'll share personal stories and life lessons that aim to offer encouragement to women and my fellow writers and bloggers.
• Tuesday -- My Town Tuesday: This will be my time to show off Birmingham by highlighting local events or profiling interesting folks in my city. My goal is for the posts to be related to writing, blogging, or social media in some way.  
• Wednesday -- Writer Wisdom: These posts will offer practical advice on the craft of writing. 
• Thursday -- I have no cute name for this, but on Thursdays I'll write about blogging and/or social media. 
• Friday -- Feminist Friday: Each Friday I will take on a feminist issue, especially those related to literature or the media. 
• Saturday -- Feminists Just Want To Have Fun: Sometimes I want to just post something fun and Saturday seems like a good day to do that. 
• Sunday -- The Writing Life: These posts will explore various issues we writers face in our everyday lives. 

This calendar is subject to change, especially if posting every day gets to be too much, but this is the plan for now. Be sure to extend to yourself the grace to change your editorial calendar as well. Remember, blogging is supposed to be fun, so don't be too hard on yourself. 

What's your current editorial calendar? 

Women writers, this blog is for you!
Image by Julie Jordan Scott via Flickr/Creative Commons

Happy New Year! 

It's t he first day of 2013 and the first day of 31 Days to a Better Blog. 

Today's task: Carve out a new niche for yourself. Create the blog you wish existed!

Pulitzer prize winning author Toni Morrison, who is one of my favorite writers of all time, once said 

“If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.”

I believe this applies to blogging as well. 

With so many blogs out there it's obviously imperative to find a way to make yours stand out from the rest and trying to be everything to everyone is not the answer. Find a niche and stick with it. 

Look around the blogosphere and ask yourself what's missing. 

As I scoured the 'net I saw plenty of blogs for fiction writers, but not many for writers of creative non-fiction and most of the ones I did find felt like a boys' club. Though I know this wasn't the intention of the writers, as I read many of these blogs I kept seeing in my mind a sign that said: NO GIRLS ALLOWED. 

The blog I want to read is one that's for creative non-fiction writers and one that's bursting at the seams with girl power. And so, that's exactly what I'm going to strive for The Writeous Babe Project to be.

What's your niche? How would you describe you blog?