Wednesday, December 10, 2014

'Bout This Blogger Tag

So Cait at the "Notebook Sisters" recently changed her blog to a Wordpress platform and is now the proud blogger of "Paper Fury." HUZZAH! :) To celebrate, she's hosting a giveaway and a blog tag. And because I can't resist blog tags, I'm participating.

http://paperfury.com/goodbye-notebook-sisters-hello-there-paper-fury-giveaway/#comment-19651

1. Why did you start blogging?



My mom got me into it when I was eight. It started out as more of a homeschooling opportunity, so there were lots of journal entries and book reports and short stories. I had an official schedule and everything. But now I create my own "schedule" and post about whatever I want. I've met dozens upon dozens of other bloggers, writers, and fangirls like me. Some of my closest friends I've met through blogging, and I never would've been introduced to some of my favorite books and TV shows if it weren't for them! I celebrated my sixth blogging anniversary in July, and there will definitely be many more.

2. What’s the story behind your blog’s name?



I asked a bunch of different people for advice on my blog's name, because I knew once I chose one I would want to stick to it, so it had to be good. Eventually my friend Ronald suggested "The Magic Violinist," because I loved fantasy stories and I'd recently picked up the violin (which I still play!). I fell in love with it right away.

3. How many designs have you been through since you started blogging? (Pictures! We demand pictures!)

Ha ha, no pictures to share. :) It's been the same for over six years.
 
4. Have you ever switched blog platforms? What made you move? If you haven’t ever changed…why?



Nope. I'm a blogger girl. I very rarely have technical difficulties with it, so I haven't ever had a reason to change.

5. How long does it take you to write a post? What’s your postly process like?



It really depends on the post. On average, your typical, medium-length post takes maybe fifteen to twenty minutes, before proofreading. Blog memes and posts such as "Top Ten Tuesday" are much quicker.

6. Have you ever been super nervous about a post? Why?! What was it?


In general, I kind of hate having to post ARC reviews when I personally know the author. I hope like crazy that I can honestly give it at least four stars, because I don't want to lie to myself or anyone else, but I don't want the author to feel bad. I've been okay so far (thankfully), but whenever I have something critical to say about the book, it takes me forever to phrase it in a way that's honest, but gentle.

7. Do you have a blogging schedule?



HA HA HA. No.

8. Do you tell people In-Real-Life about your blog? Their reactions?



Yup! :) Most everybody I've told about it checks it out and thinks it's pretty cool. Sometimes they even comment. But really, besides my immediate family, my most faithful readers/commenters are people from the online world.

9. Top ten blogs you read/comment on the most! Go! Go!






(In no particular order . . .)

"Sushi and Pizza"
"I Don't Eat My Drumsticks"
"Musings From Neville's Navel"
"Notebook Sisters" (er, I mean, "Paper Fury")
"The Book Chewers"
"The Write Practice"
"Positive Writer"
"Here's Me Using the Word Blog In a Sentence"
"Query Shark"
"As a Teen Writer"
Bonus (a recent and addicting find): "Sherlock Headcanon"

Of course I follow many other blogs, so it can be hard to keep up. I try to be good about regularly commenting on those who regularly comment on my blog, because I feel it's only fair to take the time to read their posts after they took the time to read mine. But I do want to be better about commenting on blogs I "secretly" follow. I know how good it feels to get a comment from someone you didn't even know read your blog. :)

10. If you could change/improve things about your blog, what would they be?

If I had all the time in the world, I would post more often. Right now I post probably once or twice a week, which is a good amount for me, but I'd like to bump up the numbers a little bit. But as long as I post somewhat regularly, I'm happy.

Check out "Paper Fury," if you haven't already! :)

6 comments:

CG @ Paper Fury said...

Yaaay! Thanks for doing the tag and spreading the word!! x) I totally enjoyed reading this...oh wow, same design for 6 years?! GO YOU. I can never decide how I want my blog to look. I think I change like every 6 months. >_<
That's cool that it was a school-project-turned-addictive-hobby. AWESOMENESS. I blame homeschool on the reason I write reviews in the first place. I had to for school then I realised I liked writing them and just filled notebooks with my little "reviews". Homeschool FTW, I say. x)

The Magic Violinist said...

@Cait No problem! :) I had tons of fun writing it.

Ha ha, I usually change the design of EVERYTHING I use a few times a month (my e-mail, my iPod background, my desktop background, etc.), but I guess my blog is not one of those things.

That's so cool! I've always liked writing reviews. Even if I don't write a review on my blog or Goodreads, I have a mental one in my head, so I know who to recommend the book to.

Unknown said...

Another homeschooled writer!! I think it's really cool that your mom got you into blogging; it seems like a lot of teens who blog don't even tell their parents, which has always seemed so foreign to me because I tell my family just about EVERYTHING. So it's cool to find someone else like that!

Also, just about every 'Bout This Blogger post I've read has listed "post more often" as the one thing they'd change about their blogs, including me. Great minds think alike, apparently. ;)

The Magic Violinist said...

@Taylor Lynn I'm so excited to meet you, too! :) I just subscribed to your blog and I follow you on Twitter now.

Same here. My brother tells me pretty much everything he hears as soon as he hears it, and my parents are some of my best friends.

He he, most of the bloggers I know are also notorious procrastinators. ;) Must be a writer thing.

Boquinha said...

Love this post! And even though I am many weeks after the initial in commenting, I just want to say to the commenters here - Cait and Taylor Lynn - that I really love to read comments from the two of you! I *love* your fun, positive, peppy, funny, engaging responses all the time. Oh, by the way, I'm Kate's mom. *Waves!*

Taylor, has Kate told you I'm from an hour south of Boston? We go up to MA now and then - it would be fun to meet up. And Cait, you're only on the other side of the planet, surely we can figure something out, right?

And Kate, you know I love to read your posts and hear your thoughts. I love you!

The Magic Violinist said...

@Boquinha I love getting comments from them. They make me smile all the time. :)

I don't think I've ever mentioned it, but we should TOTALLY meet up sometime.

And obviously Cait will have her minions build a TARDIS for her when she takes over the world, so we can figure something out then. If all else fails, we can learn to apparate.