Between The Lines Choice Morsels: Blogging After 50

I was recently invited to be a guest blogger for Katherine's Corner for her "Between the Lines" series featuring "Women Bloggers Over the Age of 50" and how they got involved in blogging.
To share my story, I've created an interview:

When did you start blogging?
I've been writing online since 2001 when I started posting fan fiction I was writing to a website. I also started a free "online journal" via Bravenet, since that was what blogging was called at the time. Back then, blogging was more about personal expression and less about marketing, so I just blogged about whatever I felt like writing whenever I felt like writing it.  The companies providing new free "easy-to-build" websites, like Yahoo and Bravenet, also provided online social communities for their members, so it was much easier to connect with people with shared interests. This was before social media really took off.

Why did you start blogging?
I've always been a writer, so it was a natural place to go. Writers write, regardless of the medium.
Initially, I was concerned what people would think of what I wrote, but then I discovered the web is so large, so spread out and so full of information, I was like a grain of sand on a beach. It was my first lesson in understanding how hard it is to build an audience online.

You said you used to blog randomly, when did that change?
Well, things changed when I had to quit my job in 2012. I'd been a floral designer for 17 years, then the flower shop put in a new floor with a glue I was unexpectedly allergic to, though it took me months to realize I didn't have a permanent case of bronchitis, but  an actual allergy. Antihistamines cleared it up, but I was totally ready to leave that job anyway. It just wasn't fun any more.
I have a degree in graphic art and have always dreamed of doing something with that. That's when I discovered Zazzle, an online print-on-demand company that gives artists a free online store and pays a royalty fee for anything ordered.
 So, I decided to work at home and do that. 
Along with that, I also knew I'd need a better blog--and social network connections. Bravenet no longer fit the bill, being too isolated and limited, so I moved to Google Blogger, which has the advantage of merging every post right into their massive search engine! 
To decide exactly what to blog about, I did a little research on current trends, then, based on that, decided on a "Lifestyle" blog that would host a schedule of varied topics on certain days that I would enjoy writing about from week to week, things I'm really interested in, like my garden and cooking.
I think that's the key to successful blogging: write what you love.

You write on a variety of topics weekly. What exactly?
Monday is food and recipes, because I love cooking and trying recipes. I often feature a Pinterest recipe I've tested!

Wednesday is photos of flowers and things from my garden. I'm my own landscaper and lawn-service, so there's always plenty to show!

 Thursdays, because I like writing, I participate in a blog writing prompt link-up hosted by Mama Kat. She provides a list of topic options and I write about one of those. It can be trivia, like, "Why I like coffee," or biographical, like "What my first day of school like as a child was like." 

Fridays are about "Finds," such as designs I or others have created in Zazzle or other topics. I'm thinking I want to start featuring various Florida State Parks on some Fridays, so I and others can learn about what Florida State Parks have to offer. There's a lot more to Florida then Disney World.

Just as an epilogue, since people might be curious, what happened to the fan fiction and how's your Zazzle store going?
I'd really love to figure out how to fit writing fan fic back into my schedule. I still maintain the site. It's on the link list.
 But I find it's really hard to maintain more then creative endeavor at the same time. Either art or write. And art is how I'm trying to earn a living, so...
The Zazzle store is trickling along nicely--but make no mistake, it's taken over 3 years of hard, steady work to make it go. I do enjoy creating art and one of the biggest initial challenges I faced with it was teaching myself how to use a computer graphic art program, since personal computers didn't exist when I got my degree. (I am well over 50!)
   It's still smarter then me, but we get along now.
*****
So, that's my story! Be sure to visit the other Over 50 Bloggers on the list below!
You can read my Katherine's interview about me and everyone else, here! She's created a cute photo collage for everyone!