I’m pleased to have the opportunity to participate in WordPress’s Blogging 101 this month. To that end, my first assignment is to write a post explaining “who I am and why I’m here.”
Who I Am
My name is Amy Morris-Jones, and I’m a Michigan women’s fiction and short story writer.
Why I’m Here
I started a blog because writers are told they need to have an author platform. Writing is more a hobby for me than a profession, but I decided I should follow that advice, and my blog was born. But once I started the blog, I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to write about.
- Should I write about my writing process? That’s not the most exciting thing in the world, and there are those who are far more experienced and have plenty to write about. However, I do sometimes write about writing when I have something to contribute to the conversation.
- Should I write about what I read? Since reading is so integral to the writing process, I write the occasional book review as well as chart my progress on PopSugar’s 2016 Reading Challenge.
- Should I post my own writing? I’ve found a great group of flash fiction writers online, and I’ve been participating in their weekly challenges, which keep my creativity flowing and get my work into the world more often.
- What else should I write about? It occurred to me one day as I was researching that others might be interested in what inspires me. My home state of Michigan is my writing muse—the lakes, forests, people, struggles—so I often post tidbits of Michigan history and activities that act as the inspiration for my writing.
Thank You
Thank you to all of those who have been reading my rambling thoughts here. Your kind words, advice, and suggestions are helping me find my way!
#adobepost
Amy Morris-Jones 
Have fun with the course – I did Blogging 101 in February 2015 and I got more out of it than I thought I would.
I love reading about other writers’ inspiration – it’s so interesting to see what gets others’ imagination going and what they it turns into.
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I started this blogging thing without a clear plan–and still am not sure what I’m doing most days–so I’m hoping this course helps me decide what I want to be when I grow up! 🙂
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Hi Amy — I’ve always wondered about the difference between flash fiction and short stories are. Is there anything other than length? Like to learn more… Good luck!
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Length is really key, but even that varies from micro stories that are a handful of words up to around 1000 words. The hard part is creating a story arc in so few words. There’s a good community over at https://flashfictionforaspiringwriters.wordpress.com/ who provide good practice, if you’re interested.
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Very interesting! I think all new bloggers worry that their blog doesnt follow a particular path, and that it rambles all over the place. I know I think about this a lot. Do I write about sailing, my cat, photography, things I like to cook, my sewing? Experienced bloggers have advised me that it’s ok to write about random things, so at the moment I’m following this advice….. Good luck with your blog!
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Thanks! One of these days I need to work on organization and try to rein in my randomness just a bit, but the current chaos has been fun.
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