I Must Confess I was feeling left out, as I watched the “Why I Write” blog hop doing the rounds.
Well be careful what you wish for, because then not one but TWO lovely bloggy buddies – Bec at The Plumbette, and Lisa from Random Acts of Zen – nominated me!
So here’s my take on the 5 questions …
What Am I Working On?
I’m trying to build up my business “JanetCamilleri.com“. I probably should prioritise getting a catchier business name, for a start – it’s just incredibly difficult to find a title or name that neatly captures all that I do!
My specialties are writing, editing, building and maintaining WordPress websites, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), blogging, and social media support (including Facebook & Google ad campaigns). At times my clients keep me so busy that I don’t actually manage to keep on top of all these things for my own blog – oops!
Still, I’d like to have a couple more regular clients – although I have some great ones now, I’m fearful of putting too many eggs in one basket. Besides, variety is the spice of life!
How does my writing differ from others in it’s genre?
I think of myself as a Mummy blogger with a difference – I’m an almost empty-nester, so you won’t read about nappies and breastfeeding on my blog (unless I’m reminiscing about the Good Old Days).
I’ve also been told many times that I write just like I speak. I’m practical, down-to-earth, genuine, sassy, inspirational and a bit silly at times!
Why I Write?
One of my favourite writing quotes is:
I write because I must. It’s as simple as that.
Blogging just happens to be the primary vehicle I use for it, at this present time.
How does my writing process work?
I live to write. That means, ideas and words are always swirling around my head. The hubster and kids learned long ago to be careful what they say/do – chances are it will end up as fodder for my writing habit!
I try to write down ideas as and when I get them, and start a new post on my blog the very next chance I get. I may not actually write anything more than a sentence or two, at that time.
But I know that once the idea has been captured, it is there waiting for when I *do* get a chance to go back to it. In the meantime, it gets plenty of opportunity to ferment in my brain.
Working from home, and being at my computer all day, means that I can digress into a blog post when the muse strikes – which is wonderful.
Although having said that, I pull the majority of my blog posts together on a Friday and Saturday, and schedule them ready for the next week. Paid work has to come first and sadly the blog is not often paid work!
Who is Next?
I’m passing the baton on to two lovely bloggers I’ve actually had the good fortune to meet in real life:
- Wendy from On the Edge of Ordinary. Most of the time, Wendy lives in Japan with her husband and three boys, however they are currently in the process of moving back to Australia for a year. So it could be a while before she is able to join this blog hop!
- Kathy from 50 Shades of Age is also a middle aged mama, maybe a few years ahead of me on this journey called life. And speaking of journeys, she and her husband are currently travelling around Australia with their caravan! Jealous? Who moi?!
If you write a blog, why do you write?
Nola says
Hi Janet – It’s amazing how you manage to write so many great blogs in amongst all the other work you do. Not only do you have words swirling around in your head all the time, but they must swirl out of there and onto the page fast. Hope your business keeps growing. xx
Janet Camilleri says
Thank you Nola – and
writeright back at ya! I’m off to check out your website this very instant 🙂Nola says
Whoops – Probably don’t look right this minute. Tim’s just uploading some changes, but I’ll send a message round Facebook later today to let everyone know it’s up and running 🙂
Min@MinsMash says
Thanks so much for nominating me Janet! I have seen this “Why I Write” blog hop circulating and was secretly hoping that I would eventually be nominated by someone – so a big THANK YOU!! You got all my details right – except the MissM is 19 but that is my fault and has prompted me to update my About Me page (done now!)! Good to hear that your clients are keeping you busy. You are amazing that you find time to blog as well. I’ll let you know when I do my post! xo
Rita @ The Crafty Expat says
It’s a great blog hop that one! Good luck with your business Janet!
Sanch @ Living my Imperfect Life says
This is a great blog hop I’ve been seeing doing the rounds! Good luck with your business! Great to hear about your writing process…it’s interesting finding out how different people work. 🙂
Mystery Case says
I’m in the same boat as you as far as the business name goes and I possibly should look at having a landing page for my Virtual Assistant business as a lot of people see the blog and don’t realise this is just a small part of what I do.
Pinky Poinker says
Hi Janet. I tried to tag you for a versatile blogger’s award yesterday but I could not get on your site for love or money. I tried Google and your Twitter link. I’m not sure what was going on. The rest of the Internet was working. Great post!
Janet Camilleri says
Thanks Pinky – turns out it was a server issues – hopefully should be okay today!
Bec @ The Plumbette says
Yay! Well that’s nice to be nominated by two bloggers! You sound busy with your work and your blog! You definitely have a gift with writing!
Janet Camilleri says
That’s what I call a double blessing – thanks for thinking of me Bec xxx
KathyMarris says
Why thank you Janet for passing the baton onto me! As you know I started writing to relieve the boredom of the very ordinary life I was leading. I could see a market for a blog for 50 year old women feeling a little unloved and worthless. So I have tapped into this.
Kirsty @ My Home Truths says
I loved finding out about why and how you write Janet – such a great prompt/tag!
Min@MinsMash says
Hi Janet – just letting you know that I have done my ‘Why I Write’ post 🙂 xo
http://minsmash.com/2014/07/11/why-i-write/
Zita says
Love findingout even more about you Janet! After a week away I am attempting to catch up on my blog reading today!…Why do I write….? Something I have always enjoyed and wanted to do, feel like I have a lot to say (write) and hope one day someone will care enough to read it! lol..
Wendy Marshall says
Thanks for passing the baton Janet, it’s only taken me three weeks to find this! When you wrote this post I’d only just arrived in Australia a few days earlier and was recovering from all of that with a short holiday in Cairns. Things are still settling around here, but I’ll get to this soon.
As another of my hats is an editor, I have to point out the grammar error. You’ve let an errant apostrophe through “it’s” in one of the questions!
Janet Camilleri says
LOL well spotted Wendy! I was horrified just now when I saw it! 😉