Blogging Mentor Mondays: Natalie Whipple is here!

Natalie Whipple has graciously accepted my invitation to be our Mentor this week! Natalie's blog, Between Fact & Fiction, is a must-read for blogging writers. I'm thrilled to have her here today!

Give us the low-down on yourself, your writing, and your blog: I’m a mom, amateur cook, otaku, and gamer (and of course writer). I’ve been writing seriously for five years, but have written on and off since I was a child. My first novel, TRANSPARENT, will be published by HarperTeen in Summer 2013, which is all kinds of exciting. My blog, Between Fact & Fiction, has been in operation for almost 4 years. I recently celebrated my 1000th post, and hope to see many more.

Congrats! I can't believe you've been blogging for almost four years. That takes serious dedication.

How did/do you build your blog following?

I’ve never set out actively build my following. If people want to follow, I’m happy to have them, if not, that’s fine, too. My numbers, I think, reflect a lot of years participating in the blog world. There have been big influxes around the times that I reached certain milestones like winning contests, getting an agent, and announcing my book deal. There were also a few instances where a post I wrote got a bigger-than-expected response, but I don’t know how to replicate those (otherwise I’d write them everyday!).

I used to be able to visit everyone who visited my blog, but once I got over a hundred or so that would take up a lot of time. So now I try to be as responsive on Twitter and in comments as I can. If people ask questions, I answer. I have monthly Q&A sessions where I take an entire day out just to answer whatever question people have. I think being responsive is important because blogging is about relationships—not numbers.

I can see why, with over 1600 followers, you don't have time to visit everyone's blog. It's great that you set aside a day every month for your Q&A. Very clever!

Do you have any advice for writing good posts or comments?

Write from the heart? I don’t know, it differs for everyone. For me, I ended up in this kind of “Keeping It Real” pov. It works for me. I’m the kind of person who can’t hide emotions to save her life, so it’s easier to get them out there and be real about it. Some people are great at funny. Some are great at advice. Some are good at being thoughtful. Writing good posts and comments is much like writing good books—have to find your voice first.

After that, I suppose it’s practice and presenting frequently-repeated topics in your own special pov. And don’t be afraid to be you, to express your interests. Funnily enough, that’s what makes you interesting.

I agree about having to find your voice to write good posts (or anything else). It is essential to sound like yourself. As you said, that's what makes us interesting.

What about blogging benefits you the most?

The biggest benefit has been meeting other writers. I found my crit partners online. I found my agent online. I found out how to query and write from largely online sources. It has been a HUGE help in my career, and I wouldn’t be where I am now without those people I met along the way. What were once casual online acquaintances are now real live friends who I’ve met and hung out with, call and email.

The online writing community is vast; it's no wonder you've acquired many great experiences, especially since you've been at this for four years.

What is your favorite blog (besides your own, of course) and why?

I enjoy many blogs. Nathan Brandford’s basically taught me how to survive the publishing waters. Kiersten White’s is never-endingly funny. Kasie West writes the most hilarious real life stories. Stephanie Perkins posts are fabulously quirky and rich with cool things, just like her. Laini Taylor posts the most beautiful pictures and is all around inspiring. K. Marie Criddle illustrates her posts and there are surly unicorns. Adam Heine covers writing and all around geekery. Carrie Harris is my daily dose of weird funny, and I love her for it. And Michelle Arglye (Lady Glamis) is thoughtful and beautiful and deep.

I always wish I could read as many blogs as I used to, but alas, I don’t have naptime anymore. It’s funny, how I’ve actually gotten busy the older my kids have gotten. I thought it would be the other way around!

I haven't been to three of these blogs. Thanks for the referrals! 

Random question: If you could be any writer, who would you be?

Hmm, you know I’ve never wanted to be another writer. I’ve admired a lot of writers—C.S. Lewis, J.K. Rowling, Laini Taylor, Sherman Alexie, Sarah Dessen, Julie Halpern, Holly Black, Ally Carter, etc.—but being them seems like a weird thing to want. I could never be them; I can only be me. I guess I’d like to be the best me possible. I don’t think I’ve gotten there, or that I will for a while, but that’s my goal.

I suppose it would be weird to "be" another writer, but we all have books we've read that have inspired us. Thank you for sharing yours.

Natalie, I think your "Keeping it real" pov has definitely shone through in this interview. Thank you so much for mentoring us today!

For those of you who haven't checked out Natalie's blog, get to it! If you're like me, you'll fall in love with her sincerity and talent. I've always been a sucker for a pretty redhead!