HELLO!!!! i’m alexandra of twirling pages and i’m so!! hyped!! to be guest posting on tiffany’s blog today. for those of you who don’t know, i’m tiffany’s oldest friend (not old like, i’m OLD but i’ve known her for since we were TINY). i’d like to say i’m the one responsible for the existence of this blog (💁🏻♀️) because i kept pestering her to start a blog. and that’s what i’ll do to you today!!
so. here’s why everyone should start a blog:
it’s a journal of a sort
for me, blogging is the brain dump i need. sometimes it feel so good to just rant and talk about what’s on my mind. i started book blogging because my IRL friends didn’t really care for the books i was reading. they didn’t really care for me talking about all my feels. which is why blogging is so great! you can get all the thoughts and energy out without potentially destroying friendships!!!
internet friends!! are wonderful!!
i know it can seem a little intimidating at first, but internet friends are honestly THE BEST. (at least the ones i’ve met in the book community so far) if you’re ever feeling down, you can always count on the world wide web. :’’) since everyone is from different places and backgrounds, it also offers a diverse perspective on things.
you learn a lot about the logistics
there’s a lot more to blogging than just writing posts. (shocker!) you learn a lot about building your own site, designing the theme, managing the social media, and all that jazz. blogging has helped me be more organized and on top of my schedule. in addition, you’re learning a lot of business-related stuff in terms of networking and pitching yourself (if you plan on contacting companies for collaboration).
you could (potentially) make some money on the side
personally, i don’t think someone should start a blog if they just want to make money. i’m going to be very upfront and say: 1) you probably won’t make a lot, 2) it’s more work than you think, and 3) just… don’t. that being said, you could POTENTIALLY make money with your blog. a lot of people have started freelancing full-time from their blog and quit their day jobs. of course, realistically speaking, most people wouldn’t blog to that point BUT YOU NEVER KNOW.
it’s a creative outlet
there’s something incredibly satisfying about making art. i feel like i talk about this a lot , but I LOVE ART. allowing your creative juices to flow and creating something out of (essentially) nothing is… amazing. there isn’t a word for it.
although if i’m being real, i KNOW blogging isn’t for everyone. and that’s okay!! but i always encourage others to give it try because it opened so many doors for me. it helped me grow into the person i am today (as cheesy as that sounds). for that, i’m forever grateful. EVERYONE START A BLOG.
(also, shameless plug: CHECK OUT MY BLOG :)))))
xoxo,
alexandra
About The Blogger
hiiiiiiii! i’m alexandra ling – a twenty-something chinese-american born & raised in the suburbs of los angeles, california. the majority of my time is spent dancing ballet, teaching yoga, and making internet things. when i’m not oversharing online, i’m probably procrastinating or questioning my life’s existence. FUN. my mind is constantly buzzing with new ideas and things to do/try/create. i say, “it’s not a phase, mom,” but it probably IS a phase oof. who can blame me; i’m an ambitious type 7 gemini trying my best. i get overly enthusiastic about stories (we love words on pages), starches (ALL THE BREAD), and style (give me pretty things or give me nothing). if lost, can be found twirling on toes, twirling pages, or working on Twirling Pages.
Find Alexandra on Twitter, Youtube, Goodreads, and Instagram!
What do you love about blogging?
What encouraged you to start a blog?
Instagram | YouTube | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest
Instagram | YouTube | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest
Read By Tiffany 
this post was just the motivation i needed! :’)
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YES NIKKI YES!!
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I started blogging to have somewhere online to put my book reviews. Great post 💜
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That was the same for me too! I wanted a place (other than Goodreads) to put all my thoughts ❤️
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I love Alexandra and how she writes her post already! I’ve heard so much about Twirling Pages, but I’ve never checked their post out yet. I’m getting to that now because of this post :”) and ofc I agree with all of these points! Starting a blog was personally one of the best decisions I’ve ever made because it’s a source of fun whenever life gets rough!
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yes!!! xan is on like every platform (ig, twitter, booktube, blogging) so even i get jumbled with everything but i really enjoy reading her posts a lot 🥰 i’m also super glad that you started a blog because UM HELLO….QUALITY CONTENT???
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Ahhh so happy to see a blog post by Alexandra on your blog Tiffany, I adore her!! (Hi Alexandra, we talked on Instagram haha!)
I absolutely adore having my blog. It’s my safe and happy place, more than Instagram, though I love IG with all my heart! I decided to start this one because I wanted to write about more things than captions on IG could allow me too, and then I found so many amazing bloggers here and never wanted to leave!
All the love to you both x
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YES!! I adore Xan too (tho I won’t tell her as much to her face) but I’m forever grateful for her to encourage me to create an account. I really enjoy all the friends I’ve made. I like to think of all our blogs as our personal homes on the internet. ❤️ *big hugs*
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I think I started blogging mostly for the creative outlet. I’d see all these great discussions and reviews and I never felt like I could join into the conversation without a blog. I was definitely also excited about the possibility of interacting with my favorite authors and publishers! The first time we got an email from a publisher about participating in a blog tour I was freaking out for days!
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Yes!! I feel the same way Malka. Blogging is honestly my creative outlet in a safe space. It’s something that I can call 100% my own with the freedom to write what I what and meet amazing people in the community. nad YES I always scream and fangirl whenever I get a publisher email 😭❤️
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I feel just the same about blogging! One of the things I appreciate the most is how much I’ve grown as a person thanks to it. It’s almost funny how ‘hiding’ behind the screen to express myself actually helped me express much better offline. No joke! It’s such a work of love, which is why monetizing is always good, but ultimately, you know you do it because you just can’t NOT do it. Unless until the day comes when you don’t want to anymore, which is totally fine.
This was a beautiful inspiring post!
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I feel the exact same way!! In a little over a year, I’ve seen myself grow so much in so many ways from my writing to my confidence. I do think that blogging has made me a little more introverted, but I enjoy it still all the same. It’s really a labor a love that we enjoy so much. ❤️
I’m really glad that you enjoyed this post, Pamela!! Thank you for reading 🥰
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This is such a wonderful post!! I must admit, I’ve actually never visited Alexandra’s blog before!! I’ve been following her Instagram account for a while (and proceeded to fall in LOVE with it … my brain can hardly comprehend all its beauty at once ☺️), and I wasn’t even aware that she had a blog?? Shame on me! I absolutely agree that it’s so wonderful how blogs are a creative outlet for us! And, I think it was so interesting how I learned about quite a bit of business and social media marketing through it! ❤
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Ahhh thank you, Kelly!! You should def check out Xan’s blog too. She writes some really amazing posts, and I love her booktube too 🥰 I really think we grow a lot just by maintaining a blog from scheduling to communication skills!!
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Exactly what I needed to motivate me to go back to blogging ❤ Thank you!
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YAYY!! I’ve missed you ❤️ I hope you’re able to ease your way back into blogging, and I’m so excited for you!!
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Loved this post! I started blogging because a) I needed an outlet for all my bookish thoughts and b) I figured I had nothing to lose but a lot to gain. Starting my blog was one of the best things I ever did because I’ve made many friends for life. *waddles to follow Alexandra on her blog and booktube*
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AHHH YES GO WADDLE ALL THE WAY TO XAN”S BLOG!! YOULL LOVE IT!!
I also had the same thought process when it came to thinking about starting a blog. There was really nothing to lose (worst case..no one reads it!!) but at least I’ll have something for myself. I’m really glad that I made this little step for me because it’s grown into such a great love and passion ❤️
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Ahh I love this post so much!!! I couldn’t agree with it more!!
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Yay!! I’m so glad that you could relate to it, especially since I love your blog so much 💖
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Aww thank you!! I thought it was very relatable!!
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I think my favorite things about having a book blog are the community and having a creative outlet! This is a great post, thanks for having Alexandra on your blog!
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The community is something I didn’t expect to be such an integral part of my experience, and I’m so lucky to have met such amazing people, including you, Kal 💖
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Well. So far it has been super stressful and I feel so consumed by statistics and why I don’t get more physical ARCs. This article is great and helpful, though.
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I think if you’re serious about blogging you need to take the approach of blogging for yourself not to obtain any specific number or physical/material goods. It’s the only way to make the hobby sustainable!
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I agree, and I wrote this when I was feeling very emotional, so I’ve been able to let go of this mindset.
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That’s good! It takes time to grow a following and feel comfortable in the community, but you’re doing a great job so far ❤️
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