One of the best things about editing Power Moms for Chicken Soup for the Soul is that I have met so many incredible women! One of those women is stay-home mom and blogger Sue Wilkey. Sue’s blog has over 1000 subscribers, so I decided to ask her how she did it. Here’s what she has to say:

Q: How many children do you have and how old are they?

A: I have 2 girls, 11 and 8, and a 17 year-old stepson who lives with us full-time. 

Q: What has been your path of motherhood – did you stay home from the beginning?

A: I did. I was working as a graphic designer when I first got pregnant, and I quit work as soon as my pregnancy started making me tired and nauseous. No one wants a nauseous designer.

Q: What were the crucial factors in making this decision?

A: I wish I could say I was conflicted and wracked with angst about leaving the workforce, but the truth is, I didn’t love my job that much. Really, I’ve always been the girl who hears the alarm clock and thinks: “How close are we to Friday.” The closest I had EVER come to ‘loving’ a job was when I bartended to make extra money at night.

Q: Have you always wanted to be a writer of some kind?

A: Always. Ever since I was a kid. But never serious stuff: I would make up pamphlets or fake newspapers to make my friends laugh. I would submit funny poems or Top Ten lists for the school newspaper or corporate newsletter. My dream job was to write Hallmark cards.

Q: What other types of writing did you do?

A: I used to have to write boring reports for market research companies, and I did some copywriting, but having to use other people’s content and structure always felt very limiting.

Q: When did you start your blog?

A: A year ago- last April. We had moved to Pennsylvania for my husband’s job and I was really lonely- really missing my friends from Connecticut. So I would write them these dopey emails, complete with graphics that I thought were entertaining. Some didn’t reply at all, some said “You need a hobby” and some said “You need a job.” And I thought: You know what? That WAS funny…and there’s an audience out there somewhere that will agree. And so I Googled ‘How to start a blog’ and that email I sent became my first post: “Lunch With Jesus.”

Q: How did you manage to build an audience – there are a lot of mommy bloggers out there!

A: Networking, networking, networking. I joined Mom Bloggers Club, Humor Bloggers, Cre8buzz, Alltop, Fuel My Blog, Facebook and Twitter. But just joining’s not enough- you have to participate in discussions and visit a LOT a blogs and leave comments.

Q: How do you decide what to write about?

A: I really didn’t ‘decide’….I just wrote about whatever popped into my head: whether it’s the bizarre stuff that happens to me, like the plant growing out of my sink, or current events, or imaginary scenarios, like Jesus giving me diet tips. Jesus pops up a lot. He thinks I’m funny, most of the time.

Q: When do you find time to write?

A: I try and write a post every 2 days, and I generally do it when the kids are at school.

Q: Do you blog for fun mostly, or do you have expectations of earning income?

A: Humor blogging is incredibly lucrative. I’m kidding. The most I’ve ever made in a month is $62 from the ads on my site. It’s for fun, it’s a creative outlet, and more than anything it’s validation: Getting those 30-60 comments per post of people saying “that’s hilarious” is so gratifying: it’s like having a boss that tells you 30 times a day you’re doing a great job. On top of that, I have close to 1000 subscribers, so I feel like I must be  doing something right.

Q: What tips do you have for other moms who want to start successful blogs?

A: Well, it depends how you define ’success’. I don’t know about selling things, but if you just want people to come back to hear what you have to say, go with your gut, be yourself, write like you’re talking to your best friend.

Q: Do you think the internet has become so overloaded that finding a committed audience is harder than before?

A: Actually, no. I think women, moms in particular, are becoming more aware of internet socializing and blogging is bringing us all closer together and making our voices heard. Mom-bloggers are becoming such a huge segment, that if you’re doing it right, you’ll get noticed. Plus, women by nature are supportive, so instead of it being a competitive atmosphere, we’re always trying to promote each other.

Q: Why do you think moms are so interested in blogging and twittering?

A: I think motherhood by design can be pretty lonely. Now suddenly there’s a worldwide community of women to connect with, chat with, sympathize with, available whenever you are – with your morning coffee, or at 3am if you can’t sleep. I think it’s essential for women to get back to that person they were before becoming wife and mother – for me, my blog and the friends I’ve made through it have done that. Whatever it takes to get you back there, I highly recommend it

Check out Sue’s blog at 

http://happymealsandhappyhour.blogspot.com/2008/04/lunch-with-jesus_10.html

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