Blogger Chat with Amber Bensted
Hello again, and welcome back to Blogger Chat!
Today I’m speaking to Amber Bensted, who describes her blog Letting Go Of Fairytales as “a scrapbook of stories, poems and bookish chit chat,” and someone who lists three of her favourite bloggers as Jess Hearts Books, Joy Isabella and Always Opinionated Girl. I’m really happy that Amber is joining me today on the blog for many different reasons.
When Amber agreed to answer my questions, I had to take the opportunity to start off by asking her, where did that blog name come from?
“When I was 15 I attempted to write a novel. It was the story of a little girl whose insane stepmother locked her in the attic. She sat around for years with nothing but a book of Fairytales for company, dreaming of the day her prince would come to rescue her. But when he finally did he wasn’t quite what she was expecting. It was called ‘Letting Go of Fairytales’ and it was awful. But it was the thing that made me love the process of writing, that got me excited at the thought of tapping away on my computer and creating something. So, it seemed appropriate to name my blog after that poor abandoned story.”
“I love telling stories and talking about the stories I’ve read. So, when I saw the community within the blogging world I couldn’t resist joining in. It was a chance to let my thoughts be heard and get responses from people I would never have communicated with otherwise. I just couldn’t keep myself away [from blogging]!”
As well as Amber “talking about the stories” she’s read, she also features a lot of poetry on her blog too. Where does she get the ideas for these from?
“I like my poetry best when it’s personal. It’s something I’ve always written for me more than anyone else. Most of my poems are inspired by real life events; they’ve either happened to me or the people I’ve known. One of my more recent poems called “I’m Ok” sums up my feelings about counselling, I write a lot about mental health but when I do it tends to come out in rhymes.”
“I don’t really have favourite poets, I tend to fall in love with one poem by a writer and then struggle to find anything else by them that lives up to my intense emotional attachment. I admit it is an unreasonable trait. My current favourite poem is The Edible Universe by Jen Campbell.”
Amber hasn’t been blogging for that long, with the first post on her blog dated as May 2016. So what’s in the future?
“I definitely intend to keep blogging! I think I might be a little bit addicted. Letting Go of Fairytales isn’t actually my first blog, there were a few failed attempts that are probably still floating around the internet somewhere. But this time I feel a lot more attached to my blog, I doubt I’ll be giving it up any time soon.
“The past year has been about finding my feet when it comes to blogging, I’ve struggled to find a balance with my content but I think I have finally figured out what I want my blog to be. So, what comes next? Learning more, experimenting with new topics, talking to more awesome people and hopefully collaborating in more projects outside of my little blog.
And as for getting started?
“Just go for it!
“Remember there’s no right or wrong way to blog, you don’t have to have it all figured out right away. It’s not about post schedules or stats it’s about writing something your proud of and just clicking post. Also, don’t be afraid to contact bloggers you’ve read or admire, most people remember what it was like to be new at this and are more than happy to share some tips to get you going. No matter what you blog about, I’m sure there will be a great little community out there waiting for you.”
Thank you so much again to Amber for joining me for this edition of Blogger Chat, go visit her blog at Letting Go Of Fairytales and follow her on Twitter, @BenstedAmber.
