Recently the author of Princessly Living asked the community as a whole about how to make her blog more productive, and I replied with an absolute mountain of text. There’s a lot to blogging, probably lot more than people realize, especially at first. And just as Miss Lumpy and I predicted, lolita blogging has been on the rise. No sooner were the words spoken than lolita blogs started popping up everywhere! Maybe you’ve even thought of it lately – starting a blog about your favorite fashion or take on lolita. A little url, some graphics, and a bit of typing – can’t be that hard, right? Well – it is and it isn’t. Here are some tips if you’d like to get started:

• Choose something you’re passionate about. In the case of lolita bloggers, they’re obviously interested in lolita. But narrow in a little closer – do you want to write about culture, fashion trends? Recipes, activities, or events? Maybe you want a jack-of-all trades style? Or is there are specific substyle you’d like to cater to in your audience? Can you feel like you’d be able to churn out a new thought or idea about your chosen subject at least once a week?
• Audience: who are you writing for? I started out writing for mostly a lifestyle sweet lolita, generally because that’s who I am – but as it has grown and I have grown, it’s expanded beyond lifestyle and certainly beyond just sweet. I’ll be debuting my first Gothic style soon, keep watching! Today I stitched things together out of black veils…
• A blog requires more skills than just writing, though a good writing ability is important (if it’s written in a boring tone, or never gets the point, your readers won’t be coming back!), you also need other skills. Running a blog is like being a one-woman (or man!) magazine: writing, editing, publishing, designing, and marketing your work. I do all of my own graphics, for example, and all my own coding and networking.
• Network! This is the fancy, capitalist name for ‘making friends’. This actually one of the most fun parts of having your own blog. Read other blogs and get to know the people who read yours. Reach out to your audience. If someone has something you think your readers would be interested in (like a new fashion line, a specific makeup, maybe a book coming out) – go with it! You’ll meet some very fabulous people this way, and you and your readers are both entertained :)
• Market your blog and yourself. If there are people who you think would want to read your blog, tell them about it! Mention it until people are absolutely sick of you, because out of the thousand who are sick of it, one new person might be interested. And if one person gets something out of what you’ve written, then that’s enough :) And as to marketing yourself: guess what – you’re a part of your blog! Hiding behind the screen isn’t going to help much. People want to make relationships, to develop an attachment to your blog. Have a distinct voice in your writing. Take photos of things you find beautiful. Film your own videos, and let people know what you look like!
• Love your blog. If I didn’t have other commitments and did have a limitless supply of funds, I’d spend all my time working on bettering my blog. Buying products to tout, going to events to cover, shooting photos. It could easily be a full-time job for me (alas I also work, go to school, feeds the cats, you name it). It takes time and dedication – not only time on your part, but time on the part of the blog. It’s like a lavender plant – it is cultivated over years, not a short peak week. Speaking of which, LC is coming up on its one-year anniversary! Very pleased to say :) Exciting things going on then!

The most important thing about blogging is to love doing it. It’s definitely not for everyone – sort of like exotic pets. But if you can be brave and open, it can lead to quite the magical adventure. Don’t go in with expectations or thinking of it as a means to an end – do it because it genuinely makes you happy. It certainly does for me!

p.s. – Why yes I did slap a bow on this bloggin’ poodle, how did you know? Honestly though, who doesn’t love apricot poodles?!