Friday
Jul232010
Blogging Story: Tara Melissa
Friday, July 23, 2010 at 10:00AM
This blogging story comes to us from Tara Melissa of Xoxo, Tara.
All my life, I have wanted to be a writer. I have always felt that I've had a message I wanted to express, even as I started college on a decidedly non-writing path. Writing a blog has always been high on my to-do list, but I've faced various internal roadblocks: Do I have the time? What if I get a permanent case of writer's block? What if no one cares what I have to say? I'm just some random teenager, after all.
One day in February, I decided to ignore the naysayers in my head and put my thoughts online.
At first, I had no idea what to write about. As a college student, I wasn't sure that I was a credible enough expert to focus solely on one topic. As I thought about my major influences, the first to come to mind were the magazines geared toward young adult females of color that had come and went, such as Honey, Vibe Vixen and my personal favorite, Suede. Also, some of the blogs that I read most actively, such as Afrobella, Gala Darling, and YMIB showed a similar pattern, instead of a specific topic, they wrote for a specific audience.
Thus, *Xoxo, Tara* was born. It features topics that come from a fairly wide spectrum, but primarily caters to young women. It discusses lifestyle, fashion, music, travel and more, as well as having a weekly space to show gratitude and thankfulness. Because it was created on the eve of Madly in Love with Me Day (also known as Valentine's Day), it features articles that relate to happiness and self-esteem as well. Although my blog is very new, less than six months old - not a day goes by without me brainstorming ways it can grow and improve. I'm not sure how exactly it will evolve down the road, but one thing will always stay the same, every post is from me, with love.
How did you begin blogging? Who (or what) influenced or inspired you? What has blogging brought to your life? We want to know! Send your post to staff@blackweblogawards.com in text (500 words or less), audio, or video, and we’ll post them on the Black Weblog Awards blog! Visit our Blogging Story post for more information.
All my life, I have wanted to be a writer. I have always felt that I've had a message I wanted to express, even as I started college on a decidedly non-writing path. Writing a blog has always been high on my to-do list, but I've faced various internal roadblocks: Do I have the time? What if I get a permanent case of writer's block? What if no one cares what I have to say? I'm just some random teenager, after all.
One day in February, I decided to ignore the naysayers in my head and put my thoughts online.
At first, I had no idea what to write about. As a college student, I wasn't sure that I was a credible enough expert to focus solely on one topic. As I thought about my major influences, the first to come to mind were the magazines geared toward young adult females of color that had come and went, such as Honey, Vibe Vixen and my personal favorite, Suede. Also, some of the blogs that I read most actively, such as Afrobella, Gala Darling, and YMIB showed a similar pattern, instead of a specific topic, they wrote for a specific audience.
Thus, *Xoxo, Tara* was born. It features topics that come from a fairly wide spectrum, but primarily caters to young women. It discusses lifestyle, fashion, music, travel and more, as well as having a weekly space to show gratitude and thankfulness. Because it was created on the eve of Madly in Love with Me Day (also known as Valentine's Day), it features articles that relate to happiness and self-esteem as well. Although my blog is very new, less than six months old - not a day goes by without me brainstorming ways it can grow and improve. I'm not sure how exactly it will evolve down the road, but one thing will always stay the same, every post is from me, with love.
How did you begin blogging? Who (or what) influenced or inspired you? What has blogging brought to your life? We want to know! Send your post to staff@blackweblogawards.com in text (500 words or less), audio, or video, and we’ll post them on the Black Weblog Awards blog! Visit our Blogging Story post for more information.
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