Simple Writing Survey + Link-Up

[If you are reading this Saturday morning, I’m probably at the Shape Diva Dash!! My first ever obstacle run! Find out more about it in the last link and get a discount code!]

My close blend Katie (whom I get to hang out with at Blend Retreat next week!!) asked me to participate in a blog hop.

I think in this case it’s called a “blog hop” because this writing survey is hopping from blog to blog.

We are also asked to pick three other bloggers (I failed and only got two. I never claimed to be a good saleswoman.) and share all of their bios at the end of the post along with the blogger who selected us to participate. So you can “hop” over to their blogs after you read my answers.

 

Simple Writing Survey

1) What am I working on/writing? 

Too many things.

I go through periods where I say yes to everything and then go crazy trying to accomplish it all. Including this post.

Before the end of this month I have 5 freelance projects (2 for Fairlife, 2 for Creation Based Health, and 1 for Lifehack) and 1 guest post to write for the WIAW queen. I swear I keep starting the guest post and then get nervous it won’t be good enough. Sorry, Jenn.

Oh and then I have the regular blogging to do. Whatever “regular” means…

 
2) How does my work/writing differ from others of its genre? 

I suppose if we call my genre healthy living, then what sets me apart is how imperfect I am. I know many bloggers do a good job at showing balance, but a vast majority I see either eat super healthy, workout like it’s their job and/or get down on themselves if they aren’t doing one of those two things.

I try to be relatable. I’m only human and I’m realizing more and more that I don’t have everything figured out. Following any certain diet or deeming a certain food or exercise as THE BEST just seems silly with how everything in the health field changes over time. Remember, there was a point in time when fat was considered unhealthy and a whole line of low fat slash space food was born. //end tangent

3) Why do I write what I do? 

I write about health and fitness because one day I realized that I was doing something different than a lot of people I knew. I wasn’t freaking out about eating uber-healthy or binge-eating a whole pie when I realized salad wasn’t satisfying my hunger. I was eating dessert daily. I was adding veggies to my Hamburger Helper. I liked going to the gym. That is when I decided to get into the health and fitness industry over six years ago. 

This little blog followed two years after that. To help people by sharing my perspective.

Of course I’m not perfect. I am currently ignoring a bout of hunger in hopes it will make me type faster. But I really have a heart for sharing that food and fitness are not the enemy.

I have since realized there are many out there who share my same perspective (hello intuitive eaters/exercisers!). Sometimes that makes me feel like a small voice in a crowd, but I am working on embracing what I, Amanda, can bring to the table. (<-no pun intended)

I would like to branch out and write about other topics such as beauty and fashion (I know, I’m not your typical super-diva fashion-goddess blogger, but everyone has their own style and beauty routines. Why not share mine?)

 
4) How does my writing process work? 

I sit down at my laptop to write, then I wander off and check my Twitter, blog comments, Facebook, then check my phone….and procrastinate as long as possible. By then I usually get hungry and get up to reheat some pizza. At the eleventh hour, I finally start tapping away at the keys. I might even call this the thirteenth hour since I had intended on having this post up yesterday.

Of course sometimes I do have my ish together and plan out blog posts and freelance articles.

My favorite thing in the world to do is plan.

I recently developed quite an elaborate way to plan out my life which I’m hoping to share with you all soon. These plans of mine don’t always work out how I’d like them to, but I feel like not quite meeting goals is better than not having any goals at all.

For my freelance articles, I try to get a pen and paper and either take notes while researching or jot down an outline of the key points I want to hit. I also have a Word document open to copy-paste sources. (Always cite your sources!! Even for pictures!!)

 

Part of the process, as my amazing writer of a mom pointed out, is thinking about the topic. Mulling it over. I have a hard time picking out a topic and having the article/post written that same day. I think you have to let it sit, at least a couple of hours, even if you’ve already typed it all out.

I am a little more lenient with myself on my blog posts, but only a little. Even the simplest post usually takes me two hours since I go over it multiple times and always find myself adding a variety of pictures. If there is photo editing or graphic creation involved, add another hour or two to the time.

One thing I know about my blogging is that I will never run out of things to blog about. Each time I get a new idea, I either write it down or open up a blank post and title it with my idea. I have about 40 posts in draft at any given time which is such a relief. Writer’s block be gone!

I only wish I was more diligent about actually finishing those posts…but everyone has his or her own strengths, right?

[Tweet “Participate in a fun writing survey!”]

 

Here’s the lovely gal who selected me for this survey:

Katie is a music industry professional, healthy living enthusiast and fitness fanatic.  Her blog Talk Less, Say More is a place for her to share all of her life passions in one space – writing, music, good food and fun workouts.  She believes all things in moderation are the key to living a healthy and happy life, and loves inspiring her friends, family and others around her to live their best life too! 

Here are the two other lovely writers whom I chose to answer the survey on their own blogs:

 

Amber Pankonin is a Registered Dietitian and Licensed Medical Nutrition Therapist based in Lincoln, NE.  She works as a nutrition communications consultant, freelance writer, and adjunct professor at the University of Nebraska- Lincoln. Amber shares her love for food and nutrition at Stirlist.com, focusing on healthy, easy recipes for the busy cook.  Amber serves on several boards including the Nebraska Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the Nutrition Entrepreneurs Dietetic Practice Group, and also cofounded a group to motivate female entrepreneurs in Lincoln, Nebraska. You can follow her on Twitter @RDamber, Instagram,Pinterest, or connect with her on Facebook. 

Meghan McCarthy is a number cruncher by day and a Blogging Ninjress by night. She lives in Cleveland, Ohio with her three felines and occasional Hubby. Her favorite activities include cooking, exercising, and farmers marketing. In her spare time, she enjoys making a mockery of sentence structure and twisting words and phrases to better meet her devilish needs and more closely align with her nefarious ways. Meghan blogs over at Clean Eats, Fast Feets, where her posts are virtual kitchen parties, music included, veggies always welcome. She’s been known to swear a holy crapton, and just recently saved the life of a budding young chipmunk. She’s a modern day Joan of Arc without the martyr part. Or the Saint part. Or the French part. Or perhaps the Joan of Arc part.  

 

Here is the link-up if you wish to answer the questions as well:

 

I can’t wait to read your answers and/or hear what you have to say about mine!  

Tell me….    

Do you write? Answer any of these questions in the comments or write your own post and link-up!

Were any of my answers surprising to you?

 

PS I’m all about Pinterest this year, so I would LOVE IT if you could pin one (or two!) of these images. Use the handy dandy buttons at the bottom and top of each post to display the whole list of pins. If there is a link below the image, make sure to use that link to pin.

Also follow me so I can check out YOUR Pinterest account! 🙂

Follow SemiHealthNut

Stay in the loop with bloglovin’!