Once I decided to switch to WordPress, buy my own domain, and attempt to get a “following” I also started searching tips for writing a successful blog. Well…I’m here to tell you I might never have a successful blog! Most of the advice was organized into lists or “rules”. Most of the advice seems like sound advice, but a lot of the advice sounds like advice I don’t have time for…or advice I’m not willing to make time for. It’s all about priorities, right? Hopefully I’ll get a large following and be a successful blogger, but ultimately the blog is for myself. It’s also for my friends and family. I hope you all enjoy reading it and can’t wait until I post the next one, BUT ultimately it is for me (kind of like a journal and memory book). So I’m establishing some rules for my blog. These rules may not lead to success, but they are mine!

1) I may post daily or I may post weekly. I might even wait a month or two between posts. I will not commit myself to a certain number of posts per week, month, etc. English was my LEAST favorite topic in high school. I really did not like it at all….I might even say I HATED it. Same with college. Writing assignments were my most dreaded assignments from Kindergarten through College (do Kindergartners have writing assignments?). Seriously, I’ve never liked writing UNTIL….I started writing a blog! So…if I don’t want to write I’m not going to. I’m not going to force a blog post just because it’s been a while. I honestly don’t think it’ll be much good if I do. I’m only going to write when I have something worth writing AND I’ll determine what’s worth writing!

2) This one goes along with all of the talk above about not liking English class and writing assignments! I will only write about things I want to write about! I will certainly take requests and truly do welcome requests and ideas (sometimes it’s hard to come up with something and a simple suggestion can get the wheels turning), but I can’t guarantee I’ll write about the request or idea I’m given. Again, I’m not going to force anything. It probably won’t be much good if I do. I might start a series without finishing it. Anyone notice I never went back and summarized my “How To Thrive in a Long Distance Relationship” series like I said I would? How about that fact that I haven’t posted an Insanity update since week 4 (this is partly because I’m still on week 5 AGH! but also because I got bored writing a little blurb after my workouts every day)! If I grow bored with a topic I’m not going to continue it. Again…I’m not going to force anything that isn’t coming naturally. I think that’s why I disliked writing assignment so much. There were always so many parameters and rules. The topics, length, writing style, etc. were always limited and I flat out didn’t like it! The blog is all mine and it’s really fun to be able to write whatever I want so I’m only going to write whatever I want.

3) I will write how I see fit and I will write like people (I) talk. I may not use proper grammar, punctuation, etc. but I will always try to write in a way that flows well and is easy to read. Spelling is a pet peeve of mine so I will always try to spell words correctly.

4) My posts will cover a wide variety of topics. Almost all of my how to write a successful blog searches told me to write about what I love and pick a topic/theme and stick with it. Well…I will write about what I love (again, I’m only gong to write about things I want to write about), but I WILL NOT stick to one theme. I’m just not going to follow that advice and if my blog isn’t successful because of that 1 reason then so be it. Like a newspaper and probably unlike a newsletter, The Newellsetter will cover a wide range of topics! It will probably be random and all over the place, but I hope it will be fun and enjoyable. It will cover DIY projects from woodworking, sewing, home décor, etc. It will cover adventures and vacations. It will cover cooking (most likely with Tastefully Simple products). It will cover embarrassing stories and great thoughts that must be shared! The possibilities are endless and I will set no restrictions.

5) I will use a lot of exclamation points! Because everything I say is important and needs more than a period. Just kidding! But really, I just like exclamation points! They’re much more fun than a period!

6) I will TRY to post lots of photos with every blog and I will try to make those photos high quality, but again…no guarantees. I do agree with this piece of advice. Photos make everything better. The only problem…I’m not a great photographer BUT it is on my to do list of things I want to learn and get good at so stay tuned to find out if that happens! Sometimes I’ll have a blog written for weeks and am only holding on to it because I don’t have any photos for it! Big blogging dilemma, but I’m working on it!

7) When I stop having fun blogging I stop blogging.

8) These rules are subject to change at any time…without warning.