Playful Kitty was one of the very first blogs that I ever found and started following. Mom Robin does such a great job sharing about a wide array of topics — anything from educational posts about cat litter, the TNR debate, or holistic pet care to fun posts about specific cat breeds, the cats of the White House, or famous authors and their cats. She also shares cute/sweet/funny/silly posts about her two cats, Cinco and Manna. You should definitely stop by and give them a visit if you haven’t already met them.
I’ve just recently started following Brian and his family, and I am so glad that I found them. I really enjoy reading about the adventures and happenings of their seven cat household. There’s always something going on! Not to mention the fact that they are very passionate about animal adoption and do so much to spread the word about kitties in need and give back in any and every way they can. You will never meet a more kindhearted and generous furmily! I hope that you will stop by and visit them if you haven’t already.
Mom Susan does a wonderful job writing about life with her three dogs and four cats. There is never a dull moment in her household! She is a fantastic writer, and I always enjoy reading her stories and haikus. She takes some of the best photos too! I am always impressed by what I find over on her blog. She recently started a new series called “Special Pets & Their People” in which she features special needs pets and their families. Sophie was one of those pets! So stop on over at her blog if you haven’t already – I guarantee you will find lots of laughs and lots of love! They are also in the running for “Best Overall Pet Blog” for the 2014 Petties, if that that gives you any indication as to how pawesome the blog is! They have my vote!
The second rule says I have to answer the following three questions:
1) What am I working on?
I have a few different things I’ve got going on in my head…
- I’ve been brainstorming posts for a series on Sassy and FIV, similar to the one I did on Sophie and CH back in May. I just haven’t figured out when I’m going to do it. I did Sophie’s in May because that’s when her birthday was, but Sassy’s Gotcha Day (I don’t know her birthday) isn’t until November. Maybe I’ll wait until then, maybe not… who knows. I’d also like to do a series on the raw diet. That was one of the initial reasons I started blogging to begin with, but I haven’t written about it in a very long time – not since I actually started having regular readers and followers.
- I’m in the process of updating the site as well – I haven’t added new pictures to the Pictures & Videos page in forever, and I’m working on going back and adding watermarks to all of the pictures that are already there. I didn’t know about watermarking when I initially created the blog.
- I’ve also been considering moving my blog to another host site like WordPress or Blogger. Right now I use Weebly because of the easy-to-use platform, but I think I may be outgrowing it. I especially don’t like how the comment form doesn’t save any of my readers’ information, so whenever you come to visit that is why you have to retype your name, email, and website. I know many of you have expressed your concerns about this, but unfortunately there isn’t anything I can do about it, as that is just how Weebly works… or doesn’t work, in this case. My hang up with making the move is that I do not relish the idea of having to manually transfer all of my posts and pages to another host. Who knows how long that would take…
- Oh, and I just started taking orders for custom crochet bow ties <– click to visit the page dedicated to the bow ties! I had my very first customer a couple of weeks ago – Mom Connie from Tails from the Foster Kittens. I am donating $2 of every sale to Circle of Friends Animal Society, the rescue that Delilah, Sampson, and Sophie were adopted from. I am making a whole pile of bow ties to donate to all of the adoptable kitties at COFAS as well. Since I can’t foster, this is the way that I have found I can give back.
- 2) Why do I write what I do?
Having special needs cats is a big motivating factor for me. I take every chance I can to raise awareness for cerebellar hypoplasia and FIV, and this blog has been a great outlet for that. I hope to help anyone who might have a special needs pet and maybe even inspire someone else to adopt a special needs pet. Spreading the word about animal adoption is also important to me. With a five cat household (3 adopted, 2 rescued), I hope to share the joys (and challenges) of a multi-cat home, full of rescued kitties π But I write to both educate and entertain. I try to balance out the serious/educational posts with fun/cute/silly posts as well!
3) How does my writing process work?
I’m not sure that I would call my way of doing things a process. More like a LACK of process. This is something I am trying to address, especially after reading about the writing processes of many of my blogging friends. I tend to just write a post as the mood strikes or when I can actually find time to do it. I don’t keep to much of a schedule, except for the Wordless Wednesday post, though I miss that some weeks too. Working 10, 11, and 12 hour days (I’m self employed – the work never ends!!!) does not lend itself to having a very regular blogging schedule. I am struggling to find a balance between work, blogging, and visiting other blogs.
I do keep a list of post ideas as they come to mind, and I have a monthly planner in which I attempt to plan things out (not very successfully). I add pet-related holidays to the calendar too so that I can write a post relevant to that particular holiday when it comes around. After reading about other friends’ processes, I am going to try to do a better job of planning things out ahead of time and getting posts done in advance.
So this answer turned out being mostly about what my writing process goal is. Let me know how I’m doing a month from now! π
Now on to rule number three, which says I need to pass this on to three other writers. This is where I had some trouble. I had a hard time with both getting in touch with people and finding bloggers who hadn’t already participated or been invited by someone else. So without further ado, here are my two bloggers:
I love reading Dezi’z posts – they are always full of cuteness and sweetness. They are also full of love and inspiration. Dezi and Lexi are both service cats, which is something that I have really enjoyed learning about. If you don’t already know Dezi, her sister Lexi, and Mom Audra, then you should stop by for a visit. They are such a wonderful family. In every post I read, I can feel the love coming through. I can’t wait to hear about Dezi’z writing process and any cool projects she and her furmily are working on!
Coincidentally, we invited each other. Even though we had both already been invited by someone else, we decided to go ahead and include each other since we were having such a hard time getting in touch with people and finding other bloggers to invite.
Oui Oui says
This is really exciting and fun to read about. We have been so out of it since the mom got hurt that we havent seen any of these posts, but we hope to see more.
Tamago says
I enjoyed your writing process tour. And I love reading about your kitties and learn more about CH and FIV and many things here.
I see many bloggers use watermarks and I’ve been wondering if I should, too.
Brian Frum says
We sure did enjoy your post and we think you are a very gifted writer! Thanks so much for the kind words!
The Island Cats says
We sure have enjoyed reading about others writing processes. It makes us think we ought to have one too. π
The Florida Furkids says
We love you posts and are always interested in what inspires other bloggers.
The Florida Furkids
Chelsea Price says
I love reading these posts! Your writing process (or, I guess, lack thereof!) sounds very similar to mine – I write when I have an idea in mind or whenever the mood strikes. It works for me for now, but I agree with you that I should really sit down and work out a schedule one of these days!
I love your kitty bow-ties, and I think it’s just awesome that you are donating them to the shelter! What a way to get people to notice the adoptable cats! π
Can’t wait to see your name on that winner’s list! π
Susan and the gang from Life with Dogs and Cats says
Thanks for including us! I love these posts; it’s a way of seeing the person behind the blog.
And I’m so happy that there are now a few more blogs for me to check out. On my way now…
Purrs (and wags) from Life with Dogs and Cats
Clooney says
I find it really interesting to read about each individual’s writing process for their blog and enjoyed this post of yours, thanks for sharing.
da tabbies o trout towne says
a grate post guys N way awesum yur mom iz doe natin sum pro seeds ta circle of friends for everee bow tie sold !! ♥
Kitties Blue says
Emily, you did such an excellent job with this challenge, especially with telling us all about those who requested you to do this. All your answers were so well thought out, and we can all tell how dedicated you are to what you are doing. You know we love you bunches and want to encourage you to continue. Hugs from Mom. Bajillions of kisses and face rubs for Sampy from Astrid and XO from Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo
Rascal and Rocco says
I love reading about everyone’s writing process. You’ve mentioned some great blogs here and I LOVE your bowties! You should start your own Etsy shop. Thanks for joining the pawty at the Pet Parade!
Robin says
It sounds like you have a lot of great things on the way! I’m sorry it has taken me so long to get over to this. I’m kind of a nicompoop sometimes. If you decide to move to WordPress, feel free to use me as a resource. My site is on WordPress π I will help as much as I can. Your site is really excellent. I’m glad that I’ve been able to get to know you and your kitties π
Deztinee Izabella says
Fank yous fur invitin’ us. Weez awe lookin’ furward tu it. Like yous weez fink it is nat tu wead ’bout how udder bloggers work and learn a bit mowe ’bout them. Weez luved yous posty and fink yous du a fine job. Weez had wunnewed ’bout da not savin’ ow info, but find dat most don’t ifin yous don’t visit evewday. Altho’ da minute yous type in da first letter a dwop down menu appears fur yous tu click on yous name, email and website, so is not dat big of a deal.
Weez luv you and yous furmily vewt much and mommy had da leaky eyes when weez wead what yous wrote ’bout us. Weez so happy yous can feel da luv fwum ow postys. Hope yous all hav a pawsum week.
Luv ya’
Dezi, Lexi and mommy Audra