B.R. Quinn

Hello, dear readers, and welcome to “My Year Quest”—my year-long blog adventure!

I never imagined myself as a blogger. But after scouring the web for writing advice, I noticed a common thread: writers recommend having a social media and website presence. Despite my initial reluctance, I decided to give it a shot and share my journey, especially for those of you who are aspiring authors like me.

Why Start a Blog?

I used to think blogging was something for established authors with a fanbase. However, the more I read, the more I realized that starting now, even unpublished, was vital. The advice I kept finding was simple: the best time to start is before you’re published, when you’re still in the Discovery phase of becoming a published author. It’s a time when we newbies are figuring out our style, process, and voice. This journey is worth documenting, not just for potential readers but also for ourselves.

For me, this blog is a way to connect with other writers and challenge myself to write more and better. I’m not writing to build an audience (though that would be great!); I’m writing to challenge myself, experiment with new ideas, and reflect on my writing growth. Even if no one reads it, I’ll have a record of my progress and struggles.

When to Start a Blog?

I hesitated for a long time before starting, questioning whether it was the right time since I didn’t have any published works to show an audience. But one day, I decided to go for it—no plan, no overthinking. And I’m so glad I did. As it turns out, there’s no perfect time to start; it’s just the time that feels right (if you’re lucky enough to get a feeling at all).

Once I began, I realized that blogging helps me discover who I am as a writer. It’s become a space where I can experiment, communicate, and figure out the kind of writer I want to be. I thought I would be blogging to eventually find an audience, but I have changed my mind; I am blogging to find myself.

Finding My Blogging Style

At first, I didn’t know what my “thing” would be outside of giving updates about my books still in progress. I looked at many published authors’ websites and social media and determined I didn’t need to have a specific “thing” – I just needed to be me.

From that point, I was pulled in a direction: I love alliteration and schedules. With my love of alliteration, I decided that I could devise a themed schedule for each day of the week. Eventually, I settled on the following topics: Thursday’s Thoughts, Fiction Friday, Saturday Summons, Sharing Sunday, Meditation Monday, Tuesday Tryouts, and Writing Wednesday. These themes gave me structure while allowing me to explore other topics that mattered to me—like mental health, creativity, and self-improvement.

I’m not an expert in any of these areas. I have degrees, licenses, and certifications, but I don’t feel like a specialist in anything right now. Still, I’ve learned that writing through my highs and lows has been my best tool for processing life. So, I’m sharing my thoughts, hoping it might help someone else along the way.

The core of my blog is about sharing my writing journey and how I handle life’s stressors. I take advice, adapt it to fit my needs, and share what works for me. My goal isn’t to provide a one-size-fits-all solution but to offer insights others might relate to and find helpful. If my experiences help even one person, then it’s worth it. Even if they don’t, I have already gained valuable knowledge about myself and my writing style and am eager to learn more!

Since I was hesitant about blogging, much less starting a writing schedule that others may choose to follow as readers, I only challenged myself to this posting style for a year to ensure I could progress on writing my book and prioritize my family, too. Since the self-challenge was for a year, I titled it “My Year Quest.”

What is “My Year Quest”?

My Year Quest is a challenge for me to connect with new writers and readers in a fun, engaging way. I decided to start by posting daily for a month. I soon found that required a lot of time, so after my website’s first-month debut, I decided that some days would shift to bi-weekly so I could keep up with the rest of my life.

A snapshot of My Year Quest topics:

• Thursday’s Thoughts: My blogging space to write about my writing process and progress.
• Fiction Friday: A self-challenge to write a new short story, flash fiction, or engaging scene.
• Saturday Summons: A weekly challenge to any readers of my blog who are also aspiring authors.
• Sharing Sunday: A writing challenge to continue writing on the same topic in a collection of four stories (The Cursed Prince, Becoming a Bard, Empath and Apath, and Cuddle Puppy). This also serves as a challenge to work through real-life problems in a fun, fantasy scenario.
• Meditation Monday: A chance to tell others about the benefits of meditation as well as a challenge to myself to keep up this helpful practice.
• Tuesday Tryouts: A space to try out new ideas, writing forms, and writing tips that I otherwise would feel “too busy” to attempt.
• Writing Wednesday: A challenge to improve my creativity by devising seven weekly writing prompts, one for each day of the year.

What About Other Social Media?

Blogging was step one, but I quickly realized most authors are on other social media platforms. After seeing how I managed my blog, I expanded to Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook to share the writing prompts from Writing Wednesday and the writing challenges from Saturday Summons with my audience. I also created a Patreon for anyone who wants extra content or to support my work. These social media platforms are not necessary for being an author, but they are the best fit for me.

My lessons from merely starting this blog have shown me that having a website before being a published author is essential and helpful to me, the author. Thanks for joining me on this journey. Whether you’re an aspiring writer, a fellow blogger, or just curious, I hope my experiences will resonate with you.

Happy writing,

B.R. Quinn