Beast'sBelle Needs Your Input! :) (Plus New AG Releases)

Hey guys!  I'm in the process of working on a fun little review, but I'm not going to have it ready for tomorrow as I'd originally hoped.  My brother and sister-in-law are having a yard sale on Saturday, so most of the week has been spent going through stuff and then pricing it to put out at the sale.  As a result, my blogging time has been a bit more limited this week. :}

In the meantime, I need some help from all of you! :)  This coming September, I'll be speaking at my local writers group about blogging.  I plan on sharing some of my experiences, giving advice on how to get started, and also sharing how to maintain a successful blog (to the best of my ability).

I thought it might be fun to have you, my readers and fellow bloggers, share any advice or tips you can think of as well.  You can leave your thoughts in the comments on this post.  Depending on the response, I'll either share all of the comments or just pick several of them to share at my meeting.

So, your thoughts are needed!  If you're a blogger, you can share what's worked for you in the blogging world...or maybe what hasn't! ;)  What got you interested in blogging in the first place?  How did you build your platform?  For those of you (unlike myself) who have managed to gain some financial reimbursement from your blogs, how did you go about it?  What are some of the things you enjoy about blogging?

Those of you who do not have blogs of your own are still welcome to contribute.  Perhaps you could share what you appreciate most about your favorite blogs, or what you like to see in a blog post.  What makes you want to keep coming back for more?  Think about some of your favorite blogs.  What is it that makes them special?  (Who knows?  Maybe I'll get some ideas for the future from your answers!) ;)

If you come up with any nuggets of wisdom on your own that don't necessarily fit the categories I've discussed, go ahead and leave them in the comments!  I'd love to hear what all of you have to say.  When September rolls around, it will be fun to have some extra insight to share with my fellow writers.  And, of course, I'll be sure to let you know how everything goes once the meeting has passed. :)

Have a great weekend (just in case I don't get another post up before then)! :)

P.S.  I didn't have time to really discuss this in detail, but for those of you who don't know, today American Girl released several new items in the My AG, Bitty Baby, and AG pet categories, as well as a new doll, the lovely My AG #61.  Unfortunately, it's really hard to find their new stuff all in one place, so the best advice I can give is to browse each category.  If I find a direct link to all of the new items, I'll try to come back and leave it here for you.  My faves from the new stuff are #61, the adorable new Coconut, and the Coconut Cutie Outfit.  None of these items will be coming home with me anytime soon as they're a bit out of my price range at the moment, but they're fun to look at. ;)  Do you guys have any favorites?