I’m thrilled to tell you Mom and I were invited by Bentley and his mom, Melissa, of Barking from the Bayou to join the Writer’s Process Blog Tour. Today, you will get the inside scoop on what goes on during the writing of our blog posts. I have been tracking Bentley’s blog for a while now, he is the most handsome Bassett Hound (I think I have a cyber crush on him)! At BlogPaws this year we got to meet his mom and dad, but sadly only a flat Bentley. Bentley and I are already planning to meet in dog next May at BlogPaws.
His mom,Melissa, is great and put up with being almost huggled to death by Bailie at BlogPaws! She is a writer and has written a couple books already, The Returns, and The Returns 2 Showstoppers. Her books are mysteries inspired by her pets (past and present) and are a lot of fun to read. Bentley’s blog is always entertaining. He is currently living with Pierre, a Westie, that belongs to Melissa’s daughter. Bentley and Pierre help out a lot with their blog. Barking from the Bayou has a lot of useful information, totally awesome photos, and best of all, lots of fun! Stop by and give them a howl if you aren’t already a fan of theirs!
Back to Writer’s Process Blog Tour. I need to answer three questions and recommend three other writers to participate. Mom and I will be answering the questions together since we always work together, and then I will tell you about my three nominees. Are you ready? Here is the scoop on My GBGV Life!
1. What am I working on? This is easy as I am always working on the same thing…catching squirrels and wabbits. Oh, Mom says that is not what is meant by the question. Mom and I are working on trying to improve our SEO on the blog, and are trying to keep up with publishing five to six blog posts a week. We have sort of developed a schedule so our readers know when to expect posts from us. We rarely post on Saturdays, Tuesdays and Thursdays are “optional” days, leaving Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday as set regular posting days. We thought posting so many times a week would be difficult, but I am so full of inspiration, it hasn’t been hard for Mom to keep up the pace at all!
2. Why do I write what I do? When we started the blog in November 2011, it was just for fun and we had no clue what we were doing. As things have evolved, and that happens quickly, we have started to find our direction and niche. The GBGV is a rare breed, but also a wonderful breed. One of our main goals is to introduce people to the GBGV, let them know what we are all about and perhaps one day some of my readers will want their own GBGV. We have also realized that we want to help pet parents have more fun with their dogs, as well as keep them healthy and fit. We review products that we would use ourselves. As you all know, I enjoy making tasty healthy treats myself in the kitchen and hope other dogs will be inspired by my recipes, and we like to share our adventures that help us burn off those calories and help keep us fit. So many dogs are overweight, never leave their yard, have pet parents that need some ideas to get their pets moving and we hope to inspire pet parents to help their dogs. We have heard from several fans about how they have started activities, and even lost weight because of being inspired by our blog and that is so gratifying! Our biggest concern is to keep the blog fun, give people a laugh, and not become boring. We cover serious topics, but try to do so in a fun way. If you want to be unhappy and bored this is NOT the blog for you!
3. How does my writing process work? For this blog, it is a team effort between Mom and me. My mom has always loved stories where the animals led lives like people, so it is natural for her to keep the blog as mine and from my point of view. I go about my normal life, but many of the things I do put ideas in Mom’s head for things to blog about. My sisters and cats also offer inspiration, but I am the main one. I am almost always with Mom when she writes – she says she can’t write if I’m not with her. Most of our posts are actually written in Mom’s head and then put on the computer later. Being active, we are out for runs and walks daily. While running and walking, Mom writes posts and gathers ideas. I do think if she was confined to the house, the blog would die! Holidays, and local events also provide ideas for posts. On those days where ideas and inspiration are lacking, something always seems to pop up. Bailie will shred a toy, or I will find a keyboard in the woods, and these occurrences then turn into short stories. Sometimes, the blog helps us be even more active. We may need to go for a walk, but instead of a usual route, we will hop in the car and visit a new place and take the camera. Our stories are very photo dependent. Without photos, the blog wouldn’t be much, and the photos without works wouldn’t be much. Normally, Mom has the outline of a post in her mind and then will take the photos she needs, but other times, she has a ton of photos, and by sorting through them will come up with a fun story. Our photos are typically an integral part of the post.
Nominees
First off, I thought of my blogging pal, Spencer the GoldenDoodle and his mom. Spencer is another blogger from Minnesota, and we actually got to meet at the Pet Expo last month. Spencer and his mom are pretty new to the blogging world, but have really hit BlogVille with all four paws running. Spencer is an adventurous Doodle and always seems to find some fun. He has some interesting product reviews and also supports a few causes that are near to his Doodle heart.
My second nominee is Petal and Marquie from Loved by a Collie. I have been sniffing their blog for a while now. Petal is a beautiful Collie, and Marquie, her mom, is a great photographer. Mom and I love to check out her photos! Marquie lost her beloved Collie, Lassie, last August and has had a real hard time with it. Petal is a wonderful dog, but her blog often talks about how she handles missing her heart dog Lassie. It is not a sad blog by any means! Mom and I would call it a beautiful blog.
The third nominee is Reilly, Denny, and Mom from Cow Spot Dogs. Reilly and Denny are Color Headed White Shetland Sheepdogs, very good looking for sure! We also found out that at one point, they also lived in Minnesota. They have lots of fun adventures to follow, but they are not the only reason we like their blog. Dog mom also is artistic and does dog paintings and rugs. Recently, they posted a kangaroo rug that we just loved. We love creative folks!
My three nominees will be posting their own Writer’s Process Blog Tour posts in the next week or two. I’m sure they will have the scoop on the behind the scenes on their blogs too! Stop by and dig around their blogs to learn more about them. Thank you to Petal, Reilly, and Denny for allowing me to use their photos.
That’s the scoop! Time for this GBGV to get busy searching for ideas for upcoming posts!
I really enjoyed learning more about your writing process, Emma. I love how inspiring you are to your Mom, and how she has to have you by her side to write.
You and your whole family really are inspiring, and you definitely make me smile a lot! I’d say you are accomplishing exactly what you wanted to with your blog.
Other than Spencer, I’m only a bit familiar with those other blogs, so I will have to go and give them another look!
Thanks for stopping by. Mom and I are a pretty tight team, we need each other!
Great blog. Really enjoyed reading about your process and you other blog friends.
Thank you 🙂
I enjoyed reading about how you approach things.
I’d never heard of your breed before reading your blog. I was pleased to discover a new and interesting breed.
Yay! That was the original intent 🙂
We love you, love your blog and LOVED reading about your process! Of course mom was invited by Jenna, but being the lazy Mom that she is, and how backed up she is on books, etc….she chose not to participate. That being said, Mom is greatly enjoying reading about everyone else’s “process!” Barks and licks and love, Dakota
Mom and I totally know how it is with the lack of time thing. It only seems to get worse and not better! You have to prioritize and do what you can.
Loved reading this, Emma is just so creative isn’t she. This is a fun Blog Tour – thanks for the three intros. I’ve visited all of them, but not regularly, so I’ll have to give them a deeper look!
It is a fun idea for a blog tour. A lot of us work in a similar way, but sometimes we are finding good tips too.
Emma, thanks so much for sharing, loved learning more about you.
Thank you for coming by.
Emma, this is very interesting. Mom is writing a blog now too! Its called Doodle Musings (www.doodlemusing.wordpress.com) She isn’t as disciplined as you guys and is only a beginner. Do you know Mom was talking on the phone with someone and he said he has a PBGV. Mom was so excited to say that she knew the breed. She told him about your blog. Have a great day. Your doodle friend, Dash
That is awesome. I thought you said you used to have a blog but had given it up. I just sniffed around and tracked it down. The main thing about blogging is having fun doing it, so whatever level you do it at is up to you and what you want. Thanks for sharing my blog with the PBGV too 🙂
Thank you so much for the nomination! I absolutely love getting to know you and your gang better! Isn’t it interesting how you end up finding your own “niche” in the blogging world!
It just naturally happens, you can’t force it, but I think everyone eventually finds it, and it may change over time too.
thanks for a great post! I love your recipes and I could read and watch this posts again and again. Specially your photos are like artpieces. I like to watch them… fur ever and ever like the Overlook-Twins would say.
Thank you for being so nice. Everyone loves me in the kitchen and I love to cook but I try to only be there 1-2 times a month, don’t want to overdo it!
yes, I agree… modern dogs spend their time not only in the kitchen :o)
Always fun to get a peek behind the curtain – or the gbgv ears in this case – to see how the magic happens. I agree, runs and walks are a great way to find inspiration.
And a puppy really spices things up 😉
Thanks so much for the nice things that you said about us. ♥ Especially the part about me being handsome and your cyber crush. You know that I consider you my sweetie. ♥ We will have to take lots of pictures together when we meet. It was fun reading about how you and your mom write your blog. It’s one of the first posts that we read every morning. We really love the other blogs that you chose, too. Mom & Dad say that Bailie gives the best huggles ever! We are glad that you joined the Writers Process. XXOO
Your Best Basset, Bentley
Thanks for asking us, you guys. Mom wishes you all lived closer and also that BlogPaws was longer so she had more time to spend with the few bloggers we really seem to enjoy hanging out with. I’m sure Bailie will have lots of huggles saved up for next May 😉 Thank you again for thinking of us, and we read your posts early most mornings too.
Loved learning a bit about your writing process!
It’s me doing something and Mom planning in her head. Works well most of the time.
Very neat to get a glimpse into you and your Mom’s writing process. I write alot of posts in my head while I’m walking the dogs also. Alot of times, getting exercise makes the ideas become clearer.
Love the blogs you introduced. I have visited them all before and am really looking forward to reading their Writing Process Blog Tour posts!
Thank you! Mom has always done her best thinking and solved many of her problems while on runs and walks. It kills two birds in one getting fit and solving problems!
That was fun and y’all are very talented!
Thank you kitties!
Emma, we are not one bit surprised to hear you inspire your mom!!!
I bet you kitties inspire your mom too 😉
We liked your “meet a dog” comment. Emma, you and your mom are inspiration to us all. XOXO Sparkle the PBGV
Thank you Sparkle. It is rather awkward for dogs to meet in person, so we will meet in dog.
Great post. I think great pet blogs are all about a team effort. Great nominees; I know of two of them, and am looking forward to getting to know the third.
–Wags (and purrs) from Life with Dogs and Cats
It is a team effort for sure. Glad we have a good team at my house.
What an awesome and thoughtful post. How cool that you and your mom work together to write your posts. My mom agrees with you, she needs me to be near here when we are writing my blog posts. It’s no fun without me! we are hoping to go to Blog Paws this year so we hope to finally meet you! Big hugs.
It won’t be so far from you, hope you do go!
I enjoyed reading about your writing process, Emma. I am always impressed that you and your mom complete so many great posts each week. I know it is a lot of work, and you do a great job!
Thank you. Some weeks are tougher than others, but we love it and that is what is important.
Loved getting to know your writing process. Great pictures, one day I hope to meet Bentley too.
I think next year at BlogPaws will be a good spot!
I have been really enjoying this writing process tour! I enjoyed taking part in it, and I love hearing what others have been working on, and how they get there. Thanks very much for sharing your process!
ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!
Thank you. We just heard about it when we were selected by Bentley, and then started reading other posts. Definitely fun and something to learn from.
It sounds like you and your Mom have a lot of fun together! It is great that you have found so much joy in what you do. Thank you for sharing your process 🙂
We do have lots of fun, and I do get jealous of my sisters sometimes because I like to have lots of Mom time, but it all is good here.
It’s true… we didn’t know what are GBGVs until we came to your blog! 😀
Most people don’t have any idea and can never remember what the breed name is either, but that is okay. We want to be a bit more common, but never like labs or other super popular breeds.
What a fab idea and how lovely to learn something more about you and how you write!
We love it too! Someone had a great idea!
Always interresting to read all about the process of writing 🙂
We love reading the other posts too!
What a great blog post Emma! Mommy & I always love your wonderful photos and stories of adventure. We are inseparable as well when doing my blog posts and pictures just make it all come together. Hugs & have a great weekend! I’ll have to go sniff out Loved by a Collie and Cow Spot Dogs. I’ve connected with Spencer, he’s great!
Hoping to get to BlogPaws 2015 in Nashville…it’s not too far from my home. 🙂
Pixel
We hope you are at BlogPaws too. We plan to be there…Mom, me, and Bailie.
It’s great reading about everyone else’s writing process. I’m not sure I could ever get to the point of writing more than 2-3 posts per week. And sometimes I wish I had started my blog using Sephi, Maya, and Pierson’s voice. (I agree that lots of cute photos are very important. I love seeing pictures of Emma and Bailie.)
Some blogs are great and are not real dependent on photos, but for us, the photos tell half the story. We are amazed we are posting as often as we do, but it started in December when we had to post daily for a month for the Advent Event with Kol’s Notes. When it ended, we kind of kept up the schedule except for a day or two. As long as we have ideas and enough time, we will keep it up.
Roooo it sounds like you and your human have your creative process nailed down Emma *Waggy tail*
Mom and I are a well oiled machine I think.
Very cool to learn more about you and Mom’s process. I really enjoy what you put out there in the bloggesphere and, knowing that there are so many blogs to read, that means that you are keeping things interesting. It also could be because you and Balie are so cute. We love you – DogDaz
Thank you so much. We try to stay fun and fresh with a side of information.
Like you, I write a lot of posts in my head. I really should jot notes down though because when I sit down to write the actual post, sometimes I can’t retrieve it from my head…lol. I enjoyed reading more about your writing process.
Sometimes Mom does jot down some notes when we get home or if it is something really good, she will stop on our outing and text it to herself. So silly, but it works.
Very cool Emma, it sounds like you and Mom write a lot like I do. I have a ‘set’ schedule’ come up with ideas based on walks or something the dogs do and when I’m really strapped, I go through pictures. LOL It’s fun learning how much alike so many of us are.
There are several of us that are very similar I have found. For us photos and words make the whole picture.
First of all, I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to comment on this. I’ve been out of town. Which brings me to my second apology, my post is going to be a bit late, again due to being out of town. I have been working on it though and plan to post it soon. 🙂
And third, but most importantly, thank you so much for including my blog and for the sweet words you said about it. It means so much to me, especially coming from you. You’re a very creative writer and you take such sweet and fun photos of your dogs. I just love your blog.
Thanks again!
No worries. You said you would be posting late. You can’t force creativity 🙂 Hope you had a nice vacation and got away from everything for a bit.