I'm participating in "Five Minute Friday" over at katemotaung.com today. For five minutes, bloggers are encouraged to "free write, which means: no editing, no over-thinking, no worrying about perfect grammar or punctuation."

The writing prompt this week is PREPARE.

I am coming up on my first anniversary as a blogger. As I fully suspected, nothing could have prepared me for this online journey. For me, writing is the thing. I've always hesitated to call myself a writer. But God and I have worked on that in the past year.

Blogging requires so much more than just good writing though. Envision it as a pyramid. Writing sits up there, all mighty and important, on the top.

Below that, though, you see marketing. First, to your friends and family. Then, to strangers turned friends on social networks. Most recently, in blogging network groups. Good for ideas and support.

Consistency sits right there by marketing. Posting on a regular basis. Reading other blogs and commenting on them. Keeping your Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest accounts active. #traffic

Below that, you have a dozen other to-dos. Learn to take better pictures (see my attempts at the beginning of this post). Find companies to work with to promote events, causes and products. Keeping in mind your targeted audience. Figure out who actually lands in your target market. Follow the latest trends to see how you can upgrade the look of your blog. Always be on the lookout for great content.

I have enjoyed being a voice in the blogging world. Prepare to see me here for a long while!