Last week I received the Blogger Recognition Award from both MLS Weech and Nichole McGhie!

This is my first time getting one of these awards from the WordPress community, so I’m pretty stoked to get it from two bloggers I follow closely. Thanks guys!

To accept the award I must:

Thank the bloggers who nominated me and provide a link to their blogs. (see above)

Write a post to show my award. (in progress)

Give a brief story as to how my blog got started. (see below)

Give two pieces of advice to new bloggers. (see below)

Select 15 other bloggers for this award. (see below)

Comment on each blog to let them know I nominated them and link them to this post.

How This Blog Got Started

My blogging cohort Jessie and I used swap mixed CDs and poetry together. It started with just funny/absurd notes accompanying each CD, and then morphed into a weekly poetry trade-off with agreed-upon themes. Our Schizophrenic Poetry category arose out of this.

Eventually, we decided to create a blog where we could share our writings with you all. Since then, RSPC has evolved into our shared author platform.

Advice for New Bloggers

1. Write the blog you want to write. There are endless posts and articles about blogging to appease the vast audience of the internet, but the fact is, the whole internet does not read the same things. Be authentic in your writing, and your audience will find you eventually.
2. Interact with other bloggers. Comment on posts, reblog things you like, and make friends! You can find a great community of writers out there, you just have to make an effort. I’ve made real-life friends from blogging here (hi, Matt!).

I nominate…

Jessie Gutierrez of this very website, because she deserves some recognition too!

Marcy Erb of Illustrated Poetry and RSPC! I am forever honored that Marcy was the first person besides Jessie or me to contribute to RSPC. Her own site, Illustrated Poetry, displays her own original artwork and her in-depth knowledge of poetry.

Luther M. Siler of infinitefreetime.com – Siler was one of the first authors I followed when I joined WordPress, and I always look forward to his daily rantings, blurbs, and essays.

The Historical Diaries, providing daily essays and articles from a variety of writers on a wide range of historical topics!

Haiku Out of Africa for lovely daily haiku that put my Haiku Sundays to shame.

The Library Ladies – I’ve just started following this blog recently, but Kate and Serena post tons of dual reviews of a wide range of books and stories.

Fantasy Author’s Handbook – Philip Athans provides a host of great content pertaining to the fantasy genre, including writing tips, reviews, and essays on the genre at large.

Thoughts Stained with Ink – Nicole Evans writes thoughtful and revealing pieces about herself, her writing, and the books she reads.

Thoughts on Fantasy – Nicola Alter is another thought-provoking writer discussing all things fantasy and sci-fi!

Sci Fi, Oh My! – Jamie Burns keeps a regular blog of her musings and writing progress, as well as frequent short stories.

North of Andover – Thomas Weaver is a master editor who coaches his readers through Daily Glitches of common writing errors. He also writes longer form articles about the writing process.

I realize that’s not 15, but these are the blogs I 1) follow regularly, and 2) have not already been nominated that I can see. I’m noticing a pattern in the types of blogs I follow…

Steve D