Interview with Sonal of Indian Girl American World

1. Can you tell us a little about yourself ,your blog(s)/website(s),and your aspirations and your hobbies!!

As the Blog name suggests I am an Indian girl in the Amercian world! After living in India for 25 years I moved to the states post my marriage. Newly married and a new country was quite a bit of a change to deal with. With time everything has fallen in place. In the middle of all my experiences of living here I found an urging need to pen them down which led to the birth of my blog. Writing started as a hobby but today it’s become a passion. Apart from that I enjoy cooking, eating, anything to do with fashion and watching loads of TV.

2. How you first got involved in with blogging/writing, are you an imaginative person?

I started blogging in 2013 not really aware of how huge the blogosphere world could be. All I wanted to do was give words to my thoughts and store it on the web. Yes I am an imaginative person and I could build up castles in my dreams but when it comes to writing its always non-fictional for me.

3. What do you find most challenging about blogging/writing about your topic?

Writing in general is quite a challenge and requires a lot of work and re work. Once I have a topic in mind to blog about its exciting more than challenging but sometimes thoughts and new ideas fail to produce themselves in the brain and I hate getting stuck in that moment.

4. Tell me about some of the people you have met while working on your blog?

Working for a Fashion ecommerce website I already knew a bunch of people but interviewing them for my blog gave me a chance to know them even better. Getting to know other bloggers through their blogs though never met them in person is one great thing about blogging.

5. How would (someone) describe your blogging/writing style?

It’s straight forward and right from the heart. I only write about topics I am fully aware of and my personal choices do reflect in my writing.

6. What do you do when you are not working on your blog?

I would say even when I am not physically working on my blog, mentally its on my mind 24/7. But I enjoy spending time with family and friends, love to read, go for movies and explore good restaurants.

7 .Where do you see yourself blogging/writing wise in the next 6 months, and 5 years down the road?

6 months from now I just hope to have connected with more people through my blog and getting people to know me for my writing.  5 years down the lane seems a bit far but I definitely dream about having published my own book.

8. What networking do you do that you feel helps your blogging/writing business?

Networking I would say is the most difficult part. Thanks to my blog an introvert like me today is all out there on social media trying to get visibility for my work. A Facebook page, instagram, twitter, pinterest all eventually adds up towards the success of your blog.

9. How do you keep coming up with material/content for your blog? Many people struggle with coming up with different articles/posts and they only have one blog.

I know that can be quite a struggle sometimes, but for me I have always found more ideas but less time to blog about.

10. Whats your strategy with your blog in general?

No specific strategy and I don’t think I’ll ever have one. I want this blog to take its natural course and it’s exciting for me to see what the future holds.

11. Any specific tips you have for newbie bloggers who want to make it in the blogosphere?

Content is very important and also the name of your blog. Also, work on the aesthetic aspect of your blog because how you present does matter a lot. Keep blogging and don’t give up, eventually all the hard work will pay off.

12. What would you prioritize? Content? SEO? Traffic? Readers?

For me first comes Content, then the Readers, followed by Traffic and lastly the SEO.

13. Whats the best thing a blogger can give to his readers?

As a reader myself what I expect out of investing my time in reading a post is the feeling of having made some value addition. Therefore even when you write about yourself or for yourself, make the information valuable to others.

14. A lot of people are interested in blogging/writing for the money earning potential. What are some tips for people interesting in making money from blogging/writing? What are some realistic expectations in regards to what can be made?

If you can make money out of something you love to do nothing beats that feeling of contentment. I do know of people who’re successfully making money through their blogs but it’s a long process. If writing for money is the goal then one should definitely focus on writing things that appeal to a greater audience and focus on getting heavy traffic to the blog.

15. What motivates you most in life?

Looking at the success of other people motivates me a lot. Success comes with a lot of hard work and I have immense admiration for people who have managed to achieve what they want. It reminds me that I too can reach my goals.

16. What has been your strategy for creating visibility to yourself and your blog?

Again I would say strategy is something I never have on my mind. Each day is a brand new beginning for me and I feel energized and look forward to learning something new and making use of it to promote my blog.

17 What was the most challenging moment in your blog content development process and why?

Since I also blog about my personal experiences initially it was tough to narrate and put my feelings out there in open. With time, I have found an ideal way to talk about my personal views and represent them on my blog without any inhibitions.

18. Everyone has a favorite/least favorite post. Name yours and why?

That’s a tough choice to make. All the posts are very close to my heart but I definitely got to hear a lot of appreciation for my “morning cup of bliss”

19. Name some of the bloggers whom you look up to and why?

The blogosphere is filled with enormous talent and everyday I come across new bloggers with amazing writing skills. Having said that, I certainly have huge amount of respect for writers who have a poetic angle to their writing

20. What is the story behind the name of the blog?

Since I started blogging only after moving to America and about my life here, the name of my blog happens to be the story of my life!

21. Your connection with any Blogger Network like Indi blogger or Writeupcafe or any other and the experience?

 I think websites like Indiblogger and blogadda are great platform to showcase your talent and connect with other bloggers. Personally these two remain my favorites as they have so much to offer.

22. Which genre do you feel gets the raw deal?

I think Fashion does! As a blogger if you’re writing about Fashion, latest trends or celebs endorsing fashion you have an edge because it does sell. I also think food is another important genre that grabs a lot of eyeballs.

23. Which one plug-in would you suggest all bloggers to have?

I would suggest having the maximum number of Social media icons out there on your blog.

24. Five adjectives that describe you.

Emotional, dreamer, empathetic, honest and hardworking.

25. What book would you say has made the biggest impact good or bad on you?

Undoubtedly the Secret by author Rhonda Byrne. It’s been a life changer for me and has become a bedside essential. That’s one book I can open and start reading anytime.

26. Do you get easily provoked by positive/negative comments??

Positive comments always make me happy and encourage me to keep going. I am okay dealing with negative comments because if it’s coming form a genuine source I would like to improvise.

27. Do you plan to write a book, as every bloggers dream it is?

Someday yes! Its actually work in progress and I hope to complete it soon.

28. Are you a judgmental person, do you prefer to take sides instead of standing neutral?

It depends and would vary according to each situation. If I feel strongly opinionated about something I will not hold back and put forward my point of view.

29. Your collaboration with other bloggers, are you much into social networking, tell us everything about it?

Yes social networking has become a parallel world for me because you can’t really survive without it. I love that it allows you to connect with unknown but like-minded people and share your work.

30. What genre attracts you the most and which genre you avoid?

Good writing will always attract me irrespective of the genre.

31. Your Views on Contests and increasing plagiarism?

I Think Contests are a great way to tap potential but plagiarism is a huge put off. As writers we have to display mutual respect towards each other’s work and stay away from the copy paste button.

32. Words for me and my blogs Desire v/s Destiny and Blogger Interviews and my Website www.MyMagicJobs.com

I think you are doing a commendable job running so many things together.  Desire v/s Destiny is a great blog and its good to know about all your services on the website without expecting anything in return. Blogger interviews is a such a suitable platform for writers to speak in depth about their work. Keep up the great work!

  

33. On winning the Award/s , Are they Really necessary.

They definitely keep you going but despite the awards the biggest reward is the appreciation that comes form your readers.

34. So whats Next in your list?

Keep writing, Keep exploring and to keep learning.

35.Words for your readers and why they should follow you?

Dear Reader, thanks for taking the time out to patiently read my interview and not sleeping through it J (hopefully you didn’t) Hope to see you on my blog!