The Secret Life of A Book Blogger Tag

Hi guys! So I recently saw The Secret Life of a Book Blogger Tag over on Hashtaglovebooks and I thought it was such a cool tag and I knew that I really wanted to do it so here you go!

How long have you been blogging?

I’ve been blogging for a year and 9 months now. In fact, Twenty Three Pages turns 2 on the 26th of June.

At what point do you think you will stop blogging?

I’ve thought about this a lot and I really don’t know. I feel like blogging has become such an integral part of my life that I don’t think I could ever just stop. I mean I’ve always wanted my blog to grow with me you know? Like even if in a few years I decide that I don’t want to blog about books, I want to still blog about other things. Like I know that when I’m a mom, I want to be one of those mummy bloggers. I just don’t think I’ll ever be ready to let go of this platform that I love so much and have invested so much time into. It’s my baby.

 

What is the best thing about blogging?

Having the freedom to write whatever I want whenever I want. I grew up in a school system that didn’t give me a lot of room for creative expression. There was a set way to do everything. Even when things were supposed to be creative, like our essays or even art, there were still so many rules and formats and I hated that.

Looking back, I guess it was necessary to learn how to write with rules before I could write properly without them but it is still very liberating to me to be able to start a sentence with ‘but’ and to not get a big red circle for doing it.

Also I love the ARCs. Getting ARCs make me feel special and anyone who says otherwise is lying.

What is the worst thing about blogging? What do you do to make it okay?

Making time for it. Most people in my life don’t know that I blog. So when I spend ages on my laptop writing, most people look at me and think I’m wasting my time and just watching Friends when in fact, I’ve spent the whole day writing, organising, designing and planning for my blog. And I don’t know how to tell them that that is not the case.

So people tend to think I have a lot of extra time and that I must be so chill when I actually don’t and am not. It actually can get quite irritating especially when I’m interrupted repeatedly when I’m in my groove and I’ve got the writing bug.

I don’t really have a way to make this okay. I mean I’m still working on it but I try to plan my blogging around my other stuff that I usually do.

 

How long does it take you to create/find pictures to use?

Not very long because I usually either create very basic graphics or get gifs from Google or Tumblr. Though it does often take me a while to find the perfect gif to sum up what I’m feeling.

 

Who is your book crush?

I have ten million book crushes okay. But if I had to pick one, I’d say Tamlin from A Court Of Thorns And Roses.

 

What author would you like to have on your blog?

Rainbow Rowell. Rainbow is one of my absolute favourite authors and it would be a dream to be able to interview her on my blog.

 

What do you wear when you write your blog posts?

I mostly write at home so normally I’m either in my PJs (oversized Cotton On tee and oversized pyjama pants) or I’m just in an old t-shirt and shorts.

 

How long does it take you to prepare?

Honestly? I procrastinate a lot and so sometimes it can take me a whole day to get a post up when in reality, if I hadn’t procrastinated and watched ten episodes of Friends, I could have got everything sorted out in 2 hours.

And just know that I’m not including coming up with a post idea because now that I’m using an editorial calendar, I usually plan my posts ages in advance so it’s all about glancing at the calendar and then writing whatever I planned for the day.

How do you feel about the book blogger community/culture?

I think that the book blogger community is one of the best communities that I have ever been a part of. I used to be in a lot of different fandoms when I was younger and I noticed that there is generally a lot more unnecessary hate and competition in these communities as compared to the book world.

I don’t know why but that is how it is. I think people in the book community are just so supportive of each other and we just love to spread positivity. It’s honestly so rare to see someone spreading direct hate towards another blogger or even reader in the book world.

 

What do you think one should do to get a successful blog?

Be yourself. Let your writing style shine through you and talk about what you want to talk about. Rate books the way you truly feel they deserve to be rated. Let yourself shine through your blog because there really is only one person who can write like you in this world and that is you.

Also create a Twitter for your blog and interact with people. Participate in book blogger chats. Introduce yourself to other book people. Reply to loads of tweets. Promote yourself through interaction and befriending people. It doesn’t just create traction for your blog but it helps you feel more included in the community.

Who do I tag?

I’m tagging everyone who sees this and wants to do it but specifically, I am tagging:

• Melissa
• Sandee
• Tina
• Kat
• Gerri