Hey everyone. Raistlin and I had this random conversation quite awhile ago about how bloggers evolve and how their writing style changes and from that we kind of decided that it might be fun to actually look back and reflect on those changes. However, as with most things, it is always more fun to do with friends and so Raistlin had this fantastic idea for starting a tag around the concept. Several emails and quite a number of weeks later because we have both been super busy and the Blog Evolution Tag was born. This tag is a little different in that it does require two willing participants to work, but I think there’s a lot of fun to be had with this one. I know I certainly had fun reading Raistlin’s posts and I hope he enjoyed reading mine.
The Rules:
1. Pick a partner with whom you want to this tag (yes, as mentioned this is going to be a collaboration tag!)
2. Select a post from the early days of your blog (preferably the very first post you ever wrote)
3. Select a post from the current days of your blog.
4. Send your selections to your partner and ask him/her the three questions below and also answer them yourself as well.
a. What did you like about each post?
b. What do you think has changed the most?
c. What do you think might change in the future?
5. Both of you then write a post for the two old/new posts of your own blog, but you include the answers your partner gave you
6. Link back to the original post of the creators of this tag: Karandi & Raistlin
7. Try to publish your tag post around the same time your partner does and include The Blog Evolution Logo
8. Select 3 people to also get tagged (only select the person you want to tag not his/her partner).
Pretty straight forward, right?
Now because this is brand new, Raistlin and I decided to have a go at it. I hope you enjoy this post and you check out Raistlin’s over on his blog.
Question: What did you like about each post?
The Old Post: What would you pay?
Karandi: This is actually harder than expected because I keep thinking about what I would change about the post. Like removing the word ‘obviously’ as it is obviously obnoxious to assume something is obvious when it is an opinion (not that I think I’ve stopped doing that but reading my own work always leads to criticism). Still, what do I actually like… I like the content and that I’m focused in on some of the anime that really made me fall in love with anime as an adult. It was early days on the blog and early days as a seasonal watcher so I had a more limited pool of anime to draw from but this post goes to some of those very near and dear to my heart. I also like that it gets to its point fairly quickly.
Raistlin: The Friday Feature’s posts from Karandi have always been one of my favorites since I started following her. But this was a post that I had not read previously, as I wasn’t yet a member of wordpress at the time this was published. I’m amazed at how high the quality of this early post already his. Karandi’s skill at writing an engaging post, already shines through quite well in this post about the price you are willing to pay for superpowers. It points out the old saying “ All power comes at a price” by providing us with a few well thought out examples, also for series that I myself have never heard of. And not only that, in the end it offers the question to the reader as well, which opens the door for readers of the post to provide their own comments.
The New Post: Appreciating the Transformative Journey of All Might’s Character
Karandi: I really liked writing this post as it was a topic I’d been wanting to write about since the start of season three My Hero Academia and I finally found a good place for it. In terms of the writing, I like the narrowed focus on a single character within an anime allowing for a little more depth. I also like that I’m exploring the topic with the reader, I haven’t gone in to the post with my mind made up about where all of this is leading. That said, reading it once more for this pointed out the unnecessary repetition of words and ideas and the overuse of some linking language and generally made me want to rewrite the post.
Raistlin: This post to me felt almost like a journey. And it’s a funny thing, as it also recounts kind of a journey for a very beloved character on an equally beloved show. I loved the structure of this post, and how it contains quite a lot of heart. I can be a pretty emotional guy, and while I am still playing catch up to My Hero Academia, I can feel the emotion that this character’s exploits has taken fans of the show through. And that’s all because of the way that Karandi structured this post. It points out small scenes that you might even have missed as a viewer, and explains why these have an impact on the anime (and the world of this show). I always love it when a post becomes powerful because it contains a heart, and that’s certainly what this post did very well.
Question: What do you think has changed the most?
Karandi: I think that some of my newer posts, and this one in particular, are far more narrow in their focus but they are striving for a bit more depth rather than skating across the surface of an idea. I think these two posts illustrate that fairly well. I also think I’m more confident in who my audience is and what they are wanting or expecting. I think a lot of my early posts were just kind of random thoughts in my head thrown into text and I wasn’t really sure who, if anyone, was going to read them so I didn’t really have someone in mind when I wrote it or think about how they would respond. Now I have a very clear view of who my main readers are who return again and again and so I feel my writing is more directed toward a specific audience and that makes it a bit easier to choose a tone for the post and makes the questions more targeted rather than just generally throwing them out there and hoping someone responds.
Raistlin: The thing that I think has changed the most is the fact that Karandi’s newer post has an even more powerful writing style. We get a clear structure, pretty much right from the start, and it takes us on a long post. Long posts are difficult to write, as when they are not interesting readers usually switch off. But that doesn’t happen for a single second. More than in the older post, we get a very well thought out piece of writing where we see that clearly a lot of time and effort was spent in creating it. It also contains more of a personal take on it, something that as mentioned I really like a lot when it comes to blog posts.
Question: What do you think might change in the future?
Karandi: Honestly, I’d like to work on making more of my posts focused and aim for a little more depth of analysis than a lot of my earlier work. I’d also like to continue trying develop my own voice through my blog. I feel I’ve come along way in being able to express myself through my writing in a way that feels genuine to me, though I think I can go a bit further with this and try to be a little more open with readers. That’s still a bit of a scary thought but I think given I want to make this blog more than a hobby, that’s what I need to do to make it very much my blog and not just another anime site. I really do need to work on my editing though and cutting out unnecessary words. But, as Raistlin said, its a bit of a journey and after two and a half years, I’m still loving it so hopefully I’ll continue on and continue to improve. Though most important is that my readers enjoy my work.
Raistlin: The style of writing that Karandi has is the thing that I think is only going to evolve even more. It will become even more professional than it already is. And I would not be surprised at all if Karandi’s blog will eventually turn into a professional platform for anime, meaning that I think she is eventually going to be able to earn a living from this. With a new book being published by her in 2019, only more people will take notice. The future for Karandi’s blog is a bright one as far as I am concerned!
Conclusion:
Karandi: I’m really happy Raistlin enjoyed these posts and it was a great experience getting a reader’s view on my writing. Things I focus in on aren’t necessarily what my readers are paying attention to so creating this tag has really given me some valuable insight into my blog and I’d love to do something similar with other readers at some point.
Tagging:
This tag isn’t an easy one to do and it does take a bit of organisation and time so please feel free to pass if you are too busy. Still, I found this experience really valuable and gained a lot from it so hopefully some of you will take up the challenge and pass the tag on.
Thanks for reading.
Karandi James
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