An Exclusive Interview With 2010 Canadian Weblog Awards Winner Julie Harrison Of Coffee With Julie

Julie Harrison authors the 2010 Canadian Weblog Awards winner Coffee With Julie, which placed 2nd in Family & Parenting and 3rd in Life.

Why blogging? Why did you start blogging, and what drives you now?

After my daughter was born, it just didn't feel like enough to simply send photos to her grandparents overseas. I wanted so badly for them to know her, and really feel a connection to her life. So, for instance, if I was emailing a Halloween photo, I'd write up a little story to go with it so that they could experience the event a bit more... how the costume was picked, any funny little anecdotes... that kind of thing.

It snowballed out from there to include friends, and then those friends would sometimes ask if they could share the story with their friends. That kind of reception to my writing made me feel great. And it was fun, too! So that is what continues to drive me — I enjoy sharing stories and I find writing to be very fulfilling and relaxing.

Some people golf, some people quilt — but me? I like to blog.



Your archives at Coffee With Julie only go back to July 2009, but your weblog has the flavour of one that has been around much longer. Do you have a history with blogging prior to Coffee With Julie, or does your established-seeming style come from your background in communications?

No, Coffee With Julie is my first blog. I don't feel like I have an established style since I'm a little all-over-the-map when it comes to topics! But, yes, I do write corporate communications for a living, so maybe that helps? Also, I love great design and made a choice early-on to invest in a professional blog design.

You and your family love to travel, and you are both a travel writer and blogger. Do you write and blog during your trips, or do you wait until the trip is over? Do you find that it detracts or enhances your travel experience?

I love to blog while I'm travelling on holidays with my family. Writing relaxes me and makes me feel happy, and that's what holidays are all about, right? I think that blogging enhances my travel experiences because it heightens my senses to what's around me. Another important element in any travel experience is the memories that you bring back with you and blogging definitely helps with that too.

However, if I am travelling on a press trip or for work, I don't usually blog. The days are very full and by the time I return to my hotel room, I am just too tired. Instead, I collect notes from each day in a journal and use them for inspiration later.


photo credit: Andrea Tomkins of Ottawa Family Photography

Where do you find ideas for your content? If you are feeling less than inspired, where do you look for inspiration?

Unfortunately, I have far more ideas than time for blogging. This makes me feel frustrated sometimes. But c'est la vie as a working mom with a young family. I don't look for inspiration, I look for time! And the less time I have, the less inspired I feel.



Are you open about being a blogger? How do people offline react to your online writing?

I don't hide the fact that I'm a blogger, but I also don't actually bring it up in conversations at work or in social settings. The funny thing about blogging is that only other bloggers seem to "get" it. That's why my trip last year to a first blogging conference (BlogHer '10 in New York City) was so joyful for me — I felt like I'd found my tribe!

With the exception of some family members and close friends, most people that I know offline don't actually read my online writing. My husband doesn't even read my blog regularly! So, I rarely get any offline reaction.

photo credit: Andrea Tomkins of Ottawa Family Photography

Which weblogs are your current favourites? Which weblogs have been most influential in the shaping of your own blogging?

I really enjoy alot of local weblogs. Here, in Ottawa, Canada, there seems to be a particularly vibrant and active blogging community. Two local blogs that I've followed for a long time are Postcards from the Mothership and A Peek Inside the Fishbowl, but as time goes on, my list of local blog reading gets longer and longer — Coffees and Commutes, Stay-at-Home-Mayhem, Turtlehead, Finola, XUP... and the list goes on and on!

I also tend to seek out weblogs that are of a completely different style than my own. For instance, I adore The Bloggess, but I simply will never have her zanny sense of humour or ability for shock-and-awe. And I appreciate deeply personal blog writing, but I self-censor too much to be able to pull that off.



What advice do you have for new bloggers?

I think the most important thing is to decide at the outset what personal boundaries you and your family are happy with. For instance, does your spouse mind if you detail an argument you had with him, or how do your children feel about having their photos online, or what would your mother think if you recounted childhood memories that don't mesh with hers... those kinds of things.

CHEAT SHEET

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Name: Location: Weblog: Twitter: 2010 CWA Winner:

Julie Harrison Ottawa, Ontario Coffee With Julie @coffeewithjulie 2nd in Family & Parenting 3rd in Life

An Exclusive Interview With 2010 Canadian Weblog Awards Winner Thordora Of Spin Me I Pulsate

Thordora authors the 2010 Canadian Weblog Awards winner Spin Me I Pulsate, which placed 2nd in Best Written and 3rd in Family & Parenting.

Why blogging? Why did you start blogging, and what drives you now?

Man, I don't even know why I started anymore. It was a few months after I had my second kid, and I was… not terribly sane. PPD, what I see now as a bad marriage, the usual conflicts between work and family — I just wanted an outlet. It was 2005, and I wasn't really even aware of the whole "blog" thing, but I tried a few platforms and eventually migrated over to wordpress. Eventually, I made a lot of "friends in the 'puter" via the blog and a certain parenting site that will remain nameless, and I felt driven to a degree by the sharing and the genuine sense of sisterhood you could find — so very important when the girls were just little and it felt so insurmountable. I was blessed to meet people who truly care for me, some of whom I am lucky to live near and get to drink with at least once a year.

I've tried to quit. I've felt the urge to shut it down and run away, especially after my little twitter incident in Jan 2009. But I keep feeling drawn back by the immediacy of the forum, the fact that brevity is expected and welcomed, because it lets me speak of things I don't always feel I can say out loud to the people physically in my life. It's been a vent, it's been a lifeline, it's been a chronicle. Now I find I've just found a comfortable rhythm with it, writing when moved to, using it to help me vent the upper level junk so I can attempt to write fiction in the 20 minutes a week I have to rub together. I would love to have a larger presence online in terms of spreading it around, but time. Who has the time? I don't. So sometimes the urge to write gets blocked because of that, and that's usually when I feel like stopping.

I've had a lot of changes the past 5 years. The blog has helped me deal with it because of the people I've met through it.

I am honored that you allow us into bits of your life with your often very naked writing about your life and loves. Has it been a conscious decision to blog so openly, or is it a blogging style that unfolds all on its own?

I don't know if it was a decision like "should I have ham and cheese or BLT" that I made. It just felt "right" to be open. As a consequence, I don't share it with a lot of people I know IRL who I didn't first meet thru the blog. I think I'm able to be more honest because I don't worry about what I'm saying, but at the same time, if pressed, it's nothing I wouldn't say to most people I know anyway. I think you're either comfortable with honesty or you aren't. Personally, I've never found myself honest or anything. It's just who I am. And there's plenty that I don't share. I would like to think that people would organically become more comfortable with their voice, but I think this depends hugely on their audience.



How does blogging affect your creativity?

I'd like to say it helps. But honestly, I'm distractible like a crow and can only write in spurts and blog posts fit "spurts". I have a constant battle with the limited amount of my creativity. It's a dream to be stuck in a cabin with nothing to distract me for months, to see what would come out. It makes me WANT to be more creative, knowing so many people who are so freaking talented and productive. But as a single mom working full time, maintaining a long distance relationship and a house... it's a lot. Real life has a disgusting habit of getting in the way. Knowing so many talented photographers thru the blog has helped encourage me to stretch those muscles, so I do get some creative juices going that way. (My boyfriend lending me his D200 is helping as well.:D )

Where do you find ideas for your content? If you are feeling less than inspired, where do you look for inspiration?

Generally, in whatever either pisses me off, makes me cry or makes me think. Sometimes it's the look in Rosalyn's eye, a question from a kid, or my own freaking guilt. Sometimes I feel so alone with the circumstances in my life, and even if the comments are "I don't know, but I'm here", it helps, and it makes it easier. Other people inspire me, their stories and their dreams. And sometimes, I'm just pissed off and asking Why? in general to the universe. 'Cause it answers me and stuff. :p

It's more about exploration, not inspiration.

Are you open about being a blogger? How do people offline react to your online writing?

Eh... not really. If it comes up, and I feel comfortable, then I'll disclose. But I do, for the most part, "hide" behind my pseudonym. There are people I've known for years who have NO idea, others, I'm cool with talking about it. Oddly, when I first met my boyfriend, I gave him the url almost immediately. I felt really connected, and wanted him to know me, and frankly, like it is with so many others, my blog is a fairly clear explanation. Not perfect, but it fills in the background. The most insightful thing he's said has been that the "me" online, is absolutely not the "me" he knows, and it's true.

Most people don't react, but I find if they know Thordora and the IRL me, they're extremely insightful and keep reading even if they don't comment directly. Not that it's terribly difficult to track me down, but I like making it easier than just googling my rather unique name.



Which weblogs are your current favourites? Which weblogs have been most influential in the shaping of your own blogging?

Honestly, I don't have much time for reading anything lately... Kate at sweet|salty and Bon at Crib Chronicles always challenge me to write better, and I love Hyperbole and a Half, because I literally cry laughing and wish I could write like that. But mostly, I'm reading news blogs, sex blogs, things not particularly relevant to my writing. Sadly, real life doesn't include much time for reading anything.

What advice do you have for new bloggers?

I'm not making any money, I rarely update, and I'm terrible at commenting. I do everything wrong according to "experts" — but I do it for me, and at the end of the day, that's about all you can do.

CHEAT SHEET

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Name: Location: Weblog: Twitter: 2010 CWA Winner:

Thordora Moncton, New Brunswick, but hopefully not for much longer Spin Me I Pulsate @thordora 2nd in Best Written and 3rd in Family & Parenting

Nominees of the Day: Family & Parenting

The 2010 Canadian Weblog Awards nominees of the day today are from the popular Family & Parenting category.

Family & Parenting is one of our largest categories so far and one of our most diverse. While still based from a parenting perspective, the weblogs range in topics from pop culture to divorce to life abroad, and it's easy to lose an hour or two once you start going through the list.

Drop in and leave comments to say hello:

Adventures of the Reluctant Housewife
Attack of the Redneck Mommy
Banlieusardises
Better Now
Bored Mommy
Busy Moms Guide
Capital Mom
Celebrating Phil Tripe
Chaos Theory
Cheaper Than Therapy
Cheaty Monkey
Coffee with Julie
Crazy Town
Crunchy Carpets
The Dirty Mommy Club
dirtyolive.net
Drowning In Kids
Dutch Blitz
Eject
Emerging Mummy
Frog and Toad Are Still Friends
From Beer to Babies
Her Bad Mother
Holy Mackerel
How to Survive Life in the Suburbs
Imagination in Parenting
jennui.com
Journey Mama
The Kids Are Alright
Live from Waterloo
A Lot of Loves
Loulou's Views
Mamamiiia!
Maman Toute Croche
Maternal Spark
Mommy Is Moody
Le monde de Nathalie
Newish in Edmonton
Notes to Self
Outnumbered
A Peek Inside the Fishbowl
PhD in Parenting
Postcards from the Mothership
Practical Mum
Rants n' Rascals
Simple Bites
Spin Me I Pulsate
Strocel.com
sweet | salty
Then Life Happens
Vancouver Mom
VanderMeander
A Very Good Year
La vie avec mon père
Vol de mots...
Where There's a Willer
XUP
Yo ! Coach

Are there other Canadian weblogs that fall into this category? Nominate them in the Family & Parenting category of the 2010 Canadian Weblog Awards!

2010 Canadian Weblog Awards Exclusive Nominee Interview with Kate Inglis of sweet | salty

Kate Inglis authors sweet | salty, which has been nominated in the Best Written, Life, and Family & Parenting categories of the 2010 Canadian Weblog Awards.

Why blogging?

This question has me wanting to yell 'diplomatic immunity!' from the deck of an illegal freighter after I've ordered three of my goons to tackle the word 'blogging' to the ground and beat it unconscious.

It's probably unfair for me to get squirmy around the word 'blogger', especially given all the metadrama and politics and reactive blogging pride out there. It's got nothing to do with the writing I do for clients, or for fiction. I don’t mean to devalue the communities and friendships that spring up from all these people writing and sharing over the internet. It's just a goofy word.

I've also never thought of blogging as an end-goal. It's writing. So why writing? Because I suck at math.

Where does your weblog fit into your creative portfolio? Is blogging your primary outlet, or do you publish elsewhere?

My blog accelerated the process of getting published by helping me bypass the slush pile. It wasn't necessarily mass exposure — plenty of people get more traffic than I do. But my writing caught the eye of the right person the same week I'd finished my first manuscript. She's now my editor. I am shocked. She is relentless.

I'm not inclined to syrupy overstatements, but this is the truth. The past year has made me feel like the home of my writing might make anything possible. It's a channel, an idea bank, a spiritual practice, friendships, a resource, a discipline. The past year has been a lesson in how profoundly storytelling — and clarity of voice — matters.

How has your blogging style, content, and attitude changed since you first began?

I remember the first and last time I got wound up about the futility of blogging. It was sometime in 2005. I was wandering one night, trying to find ‘good blogs’. I had no idea how it all worked, how you’d ever find similar voices or interests, let alone readers. From blogroll to blogroll I landed on a blog that featured a whole series of posts detailing several days of one woman’s constipation. Ooof! Hard poop. Big poop! Waiting. Pushing. Ow! Oof. Oatmeal. Prunes. Urrgh! Water. More water! Ouch. Squat! A downed tree, a chorus. None of it meant to be funny. She might have had a ticker in animated gif format. Hers was some seriously earnest shit.

30+ comments on every post led me to the conclusion that people like reading about artless shit. I didn’t just want to quit blogging. I wanted to trade in my entire generation.

Choosing not to delete my blog at that moment was a turning point. To keep going, I had to shrug at the rest of the internet. The trolls, the bickering, the melodrama, the need for validation, the exposure fetishists. The shit. I had to make the internet into something else, at least in my corner, and not internalize the rest of it. I made an effort to find kind and interesting people for whom blogging was just a platform for something else. Good writing, ideas, photography, art.

Then the twins were born, and Liam died, and everything changed, but far beyond blogging. I’m not afraid anymore. I’m not so doubtful and unsure and awkward and wracked. I don’t worry as much about what people think of me. I feel bigger than I was, more calm. More cemented in how I feel about the act of public writing.

Which of your weblog entries from the past while was the most cathartic/interesting/nerve-wracking for you, and why?

The answer most people might expect would be any post written inside the NICU. When something like that happens to you, the world doesn't stop. People keep running for the bus and flipping the bird in traffic and it's just impossibly strange. My kid is dying and you're eating a hamburger, you stupid fucker, and you've got ketchup on your chin, and I can't decide if I want to punch you or tell you how rare you are.

The world doesn't want or need to see the suffering that consumes you. In fact, most people turn away from it. So I had to keep writing. I needed to make people pause and consider the vividness of what we couldn't escape. And I needed to make it hopeful, somehow. I was forcing my imagination out-of-season. It was sado-masochism on all fronts, but it didn’t take courage. I had no choice. The writing of those posts came easily.

The difficult, knuckle-biting posts have been those that preceded the release of my book. I've never felt so exposed in my life. I had no idea it would feel so terrifying to put those pirates where they could be seen. They're brutes and thugs but they were kind enough to run away with me when I needed fresh air. For people to respond to them (or my expression of them) with indifference... for a few weeks there, I was out of my head with how raw it felt.

Ramble a little bit here about whatever you like. We think you're a stunning writer and just want to listen to you talk some more.

Poop! LOL. OMG. TMI. WTF.

What weblogs are your must-reads?

Bon of Crib Chronicles, Sweet Juniper, BHJ, Maggie Dammit, and so many others. I read my friends, so it’s really tough to answer this. Some are photographers, some I’ve hung out with at BlogHer [conferences], some totally bogarted the last box of chocolate weetabix. I trawl Pioneer Woman for free photoshop actions but beyond that, everyone I read is someone with some personal connection. They’re all must-reads.

If you were to impart some knowledge to an aspiring blogger, what would you tell them?

Only flash your boobs if somebody pays you.

Kate Inglis, a writer and photographer, lives on the edge of a meat-grinder sea on the far eastern coastline of Nova Scotia where she was born. Since 2004, her personal blog sweet | salty has chronicled a journey that's been equal parts joy, blessings and unexpected bumps. She founded a collaborative blog for babylost parents called Glow in the Woods, a warm, embracing and entirely cherub-free community. She spends a lot of time with her camera in-hand, chasing light, and writes for Shutter Sisters as a founding contributor. In November 2009 her first novel was published — The Dread Crew: Pirates of the Backwoods, a book January Magazine calls it “a spirited tale, gorgeously rendered.” The second edition lands in Canada and the U.S. in April 2010.

Nominees of the Day: Family & Parenting

The 2010 Canadian Weblog Awards nominees of the day today are from the popular Family & Parenting category.

It was originally suggested to me that one of the categories that the 2010 Canadian Weblog Awards needed to have was Mommyblogging, but that label has always rubbed me the wrong way. It seems to embrace only one part of what constitutes parenting and family, especially in a world that acknowledges the diversity of family structures out there, not to mention fathers. So, the more inclusive Family & Parenting category was born. These bloggers write about the complexity of parenthood and family life in a way that would leave most parenting magazines quaking in their boots, so read, comment, and enjoy!

Attack of the Redneck Mommy
Better Now
Chaos Theory
dirtyolive.net
Dutch Blitz
Eject
Her Bad Mother
Live from Waterloo
Maternal Spark
Mommy Is Moody
Notes to Self
Spin Me I Pulsate
sweet | salty
XUP

If you know of an excellent Canadian weblog about family and parenting, share the good reading and nominate them for a 2010 Canadian Weblog Award.