Ryanne Molinari

My favorite number is eleven, so it seems fitting to celebrate my eleventh blogging anniversary. Here are eleven little lessons I’ve learned from blogging:

1. You never know what a blog will become. I registered for WordPress because I didn’t know GoodReads was a thing. I planned to use my blog for book reviews, but now it is my digital headquarters for music, poetry, musings on life and ministry, publication updates, short stories, and, occasionally, book reviews. In a way, my blog has grown and matured along with me.
2. You are not a niche. Instagram perpetually frustrates me because it wants me to choose a label: artist, musician, writer, author, blogger. But I am not a niche. I write and play music. I am an author. I am clearly a blogger of some sort. I just can’t limit myself to only one of these things. My blog reflects this. Although sometimes I am frustrated that my website isn’t focused on one thing alone, it is a good reminder that, even in this digital age, human beings are complex personalities—not algorithmic niches.
3. Don’t blog angry. I can’t tell you how many drafts I’ve pounded out, smoldering with indignation. Even though these drafts contain truth—even truths that should, at some point, be shared—I’ve learned that I’ll regret posts I publish when blinded by passion. It’s convicting to remember that every careless word will be brought before God, and that this means carelessly typed as well as spoken words.
4. Stats are not everything. My blog stats show me the basic regions of my readers, as well as the number of people who open my articles. However, these metrics can’t measure hearts convicted, minds inspired, and souls cheered. They also can’t measure who is extremely bored or annoyed with my writing. I’ve learned not to pay too much attention to my blog stats. There are bots (I’m pretty sure) who will like every post, and real people who read everything but haven’t officially subscribed. Numbers aren’t everything.
5. You’ll be surprised who you connect with. Early in my blogging career, my mom made a fake blog and spammed me with cat photos. This was not as surprising as some of the real connections I’ve formed through blogging. I’ve made friends whose influence has passed from the digital to the material world through birthday cards, help editing dissertations, and even wedding gifts. It’s been lovely.
6. Web design is tough. I would love to let someone else manage the design of my website. I don’t really have an eye for web design and I don’t enjoy it. But I am still at the point in my writing career where I have more time and determination than money…so I’ve learned a lot about creating and managing my site. I trust these skills won’t be wasted in the future.
7. My blog is my most meaningful media outlet. My Facebook and Instagram stats are much higher than those of my blog, and I put out more content on those sites…and this is why I love my blog. I love that it gives me a platform (however small) where I can write with actual depth, whereas Instagram feels more like a treadmill of meaninglessness. So much more of my inner life bursts through in my blog. If you really would like to get to know me and my work, I’d recommend subscribing to email updates at the bottom of this page.
8. Try out big ideas in little posts. The idea for my current book project started as a blog post. A few people read it and responded positively. They shared it with others, who urged me to write more on the subject. Without my blog, I doubt I would have had the boost I needed to spend over two years now working on this project.
9. Have readers who will point out your typos. No matter how many times I proof a blog, there will be a typo. With a former English teacher for a mother and several writers for friends, it’s only a matter of time before one of them points out a mistake for me to fix before sharing the post on social media, etc. Although usually annoyed at myself for missing these, I’m grateful to my readers for spotting them. (Mom, I may or may not have hidden three typos in this post…can you find them?)
10. Journal, journal, journal. Journaling and blogging have a positive correlation in my life. If I’m publishing a good number of blog posts, you can bet I’m journaling regularly. My journal is where I work out my ideas and see what sticks. It’s where I jot down ideas, quotes, Scripture references, or questions. Without my journaling habit, I would likely have quit blogging years ago.
11. Read voraciously, especially Scripture. It’s tough to run out of things to blog about when you’re immersed in good literature—and Scripture never fails to inspire thought-provoking questions and insights. Whereas Instagram pumps out content by tempting users to jump on trending audio, blogging takes (ideally) more depth. Blogging isn’t just about consumption but about reading, digesting, and sharing solid meat.