Blogger Chat with Grace Latter
Fun fact! This isn’t actually a new post! I spoke to Grace about blogging for the first ever edition of Blogger Chat. However, and I really don’t know how, the original post seems to have been lost somewhere on the internet. Whilst I don’t have exactly how I formatted the first post, I do still have Grace’s answers to the questions, so I thought for the purposes of continuity, I’d post them anyway!
1. In ten words, how would you describe your blog?
Personal, bookish, creative writing, stories, inspirations, self-love, searching, finding, unique.
An account of my journey through life — no stone unturned.
2. How long have you been blogging?
Since I was 16! I started the blog between lessons at college, in the little Learning Centre, at one of the ancient computers that took forever to connect to the internet.
3. What got you into it?
I needed somewhere to go — somewhere to vent, rage, ponder, muse; somewhere to be me. I didn’t even need anyone to read it, at first, I thought that would just be a nice bonus.
4. What blog post has been your most successful to date and why do you think it was your most successful?
My Tumour Tale posts tend to be the most viewed; the ones about my diagnosis, operations, recoveries (plural) and follow-up appointments. Which is sweet actually, because I guess it means people want to know how I’m doing.
And of course my ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ blog post is always being clicked on — its stats are always rocketing! Which is pretty awesome. I mean, my musings and hardcore feelings about female masturbation (how great it is, yes, but also how it should be a norm as much as male masturbation is) are a hit on the internet! Who’d have thought?!
5. To me, your blog is a little bit of everything. You write about sex, relationships, body image, mental health, books, a whole variety of topics. Do you have a favourite thing to write about?
I love that you think this! Yay! Okay, tricky Q, as I love the bookish side of things; the UKYA community rocks my world and I have endless fun reading new releases and then writing up my thoughts on them, the response is always awesome. I also love the personal stuff; people want to know about my life!? And of course, mental health and sex positivity are enormous things for me; I cannot write about them enough!
I’d say I love writing the posts that get people talking. Whether that’s a book review, a personal update, one of my many ‘Opinions & Taboos’ posts…if it ignites conversation (on Twitter, in the comments section, via email or in person!) then it’s worth it, and I’m happy.
6. You’re a creative writing graduate plus you’ve also recently announced you’ll be doing some guest lectures at the University of Winchester soon too. Has being a creative writing graduate helped you with blogging?
Oh my goodness, I am so excited about this. I get to teach the lovely freshers at my alma mater how to blog! Well, give them some pointers and general guidance at least…let’s hope I do the blogging world justice and maybe bring about some new voices!
Being a Creative Writing student was so great, if surreal — I was doing what I wanted and getting graded for it! I had of course been blogging before, but once I started my course I realised that I could post bits of my assignments on the blog (which was then entitled braceletsandbangles.blogspot.co.uk!) and share it with my course mates AND online friends to get their thoughts and help!
7. You’re no stranger (or at least I don’t think!) to taking on a taboo subject. Do you ever find it difficult to write about certain topics?
Ooh, I do love a good taboo. Nothing is off limits to me. I am currently thinking of new topics I can take on — having already written about wanking, dry spells, magic numbers and also having peppered many personal posts with my own sexual anecdotes…I also did a video for The Mix about having sex on your period, which was such fun.
I think the only taboo topics that I couldn’t write about are the ones I have less experience in. Like, I’d hate to get my facts muddled and not be totally eloquent on an important issue, so I’ll only address the ones I feel I know enough about.
8. Do you think it’s important to talk about taboo topics? Would you like your blog to form part of such conversations? Has it already formed part of these conversations?
It is so so important to address some issues and taboos. I had a long conversation with a little group of female authors and book bloggers at a launch party recently about our experiences with masturbation over the years, and we all laughed so hard with joy and relief to actually be saying certain things aloud!
I can only hope my writing continues to bring about these important chats with friends, family and maybe even complete strangers!
9. Do you have any plans for writing beyond blogging?
I do! I am writing a book at present, and looking into my options agents-wise. It’s terrifying. Wish me luck!
I also would love to write for a magazine or website. I’m hoping to become more of a freelancer and someday have that as my sole income. A little over-ambitious, I know…
10. What would you say to someone who wants to start a blog?
My rules: be you, be bold, be brave, but be comfortable. And never delete anything. Revert posts to drafts, maybe. But never completely delete. It’s so fun to look back years in the future at where you started.
