Blog Tour | A Behind the Scenes Look of TNW

By chelsea | September 26, 2014 10 Comments

happy friday! the fabulous lindsay of ‘the newlywed notebook’ did a behind the scenes tour of how she creates her blog and then said she wanted to see how my little corner of the world worked. typically you answer 4 not terribly hard or lengthy questions but since i’m wordy, i’ll probably give you more information than you wanted.

 

if you ever wondered what the heck i do to prepare for posts, get ideas for blogs and other random things-this is it baby (and it only involves a little bit of creepiness)!

what am i working on?

whew! i have been working for the last few months around putting together a new strategy for the ‘the new wifestyle.’ i am looking to create more of a community space so stay tuned for a revamp and overhaul quite soon. it’s been an intense process for me mentally because trying new things completely freaks me out and makes me over eat. (reminder…pursuing your capabilities isn’t supposed to be comfortable. i read this almost daily as a reminder. weird? probably.) thanks again all 103 people who took my survey a few months back because it’s guiding the way!

 

i am a creature of habit and when those habits start changing, it can be challenging for me.  as my goals become more concrete and real, i pull a few strands of my hair out at least 1-5 times a day.

 

oh and here is my spot in our office! here’s where most of the work gets done unless i’m going stir crazy and need to work in a coffee shop or i’m lazy and write blogs laying horizontally in bed (that has only happened a few times and it was not very productive).

my husband has been hugely helpful with brainstorming ideas for the site, a wealth of information to help me figure out technology and my biggest cheerleader. he looks killer with pom poms.

 

my view is either of this when my hubs is away or the side of his face. i like them both.

another thing i’m working on is profiling how other women are living their new wifestyle! i am really excited about this series and have inspiring and honest women lined up through december to share with you. it kicked off on wednesday of this week so be sure to check out amanda’s wifestyle!

 

how do my creative doings differ from others in this genre?

well believe it or not, there are quite a few lifestyle bloggers out there, obviously. the blogging world is amazing and completely overwhelming and i’ve spent full days getting sucked into the vortex.

 

different writers and bloggers bring different things to the table. our backgrounds, beliefs and life experiences all shape our lens of how we view and interact with the world. having my master’s in social work has given me the lens of working for social justice, especially empowering women.

 

my relationship insight and musings are not religiously affiliated, as many of the other marriage bloggers and resources are (more on that later) so that is quite a ‘differ’ too.

 

why do i write or create what i do?

i write and share insight into my life and relationship because i truly believe marriage is a powerful partnership. it makes me sad and angry and have crazy eyes when the media (and other outlets) either portray it as sugary sweet and always perfect or a prison and hell that you get tricked in to. i’m not buying it. i’m not living it.

 

my intent is to provide a true look into what a marriage can do you for your soul, the way it can transform your life into something beyond your wildest dreams and how it can also be tough work to maintain. my husband and i are 4 years strong this month and we’ve agreed to 93 more years until we renegotiate our contract.

 

how does my creative process work?

i am trying to get better about writing posts earlier and scheduling them to go out but 98% of the time i write them and immediate hit publish (that is what is happening right this second with this one!) when i’ve at least outlined them prior and have my photos organized beforehand, i feel a lot less stress but sometimes ‘the mindy project’ and cookies win-out over me writing. just being real here, folks.

our dog is not standing on the window sill but she sure has parkour’d on it before! that sunset is no joke either.

 

to get ideas for writing, i do a couple of things. thankfully the topic i’m writing about i’m heavily involved in (marriage) so many ideas are formed simply be interacting with my husband, like the conversation of when he changed his dreams because of me. most times i’m writing about something relevant to things i’m struggling with or give thought to things i’ve overcome and how. a post can take me anywhere from an hour to sometimes 4+ hours to write, edit and all that jazz. this one, for instance, i’ve been working on for 2.5 hours. damn you mindy project.

 

another thing i do is eavesdrop. creepy, right? i pay attention to what couples are squabbling about at happy hour, things people say at the airport (recently heard: “oh wow, my wife has never picked me up inside before!”) and have discussions with friends and family. i get inspiration from other bloggers, most recently from emily (hudson & emily) and how to plan for hard times in marriage. i have a list on my computer of different topic ideas in case my brain completely blanks and i need some help.

 

we live in a great location in portland and now that we have a dog, we take at least 4 walks a day. this helps to draw inspiration when you aren’t even looking for it. i try to take at least one walk alone a day to just be in my thoughts (and sometimes they end up on TV) and the rest with my husband because great ideas and conversations are formulated during this time. it’s also a let less fun to pick up dog poop by yourself because then no one laughs at all the jokes your crack or when you gag.

i try to sometimes work closely with my assistant but she can be too distracting at times. adorably distracting.

so there you have it! a sneak peek into what goes behind the scenes of ‘the new wifestyle’ and maybe i’ll do this again in a few months because i’m expecting it to look quite different. also be sure to check out lindsay’s tour of her blog!

 

ashley at saving money in your 20’s (um…yes please) i want to know what’s going on behind the scenes over yonder!

 

just because i can and i think he’s really cute…a picture of me and the husband because he has totally and completely rocked it this week with a new opportunity and i could not be more proud of him! more ice cream for you, sir.

 

questions:
1) if you blog or write, feel free to do this too or share in the comments about your process! i’m curious and nosy.
2) anything surprise you or other questions you have about the happens over here?
3) what other topics might you like covered here?

 

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