I've never been private about my blogging, but that apparently seems to strike at people most. "How are you able to be so honest? Aren't you afraid people will read it?"

The answer is both "yes" and "no." Longtime friends will know the constant battle I go through of trying to figure out if I should be writing with an audience in mind or not. More often than not, this blog is a personal diary of babblings and freaking out. (Sometimes I'm told I say something insightful, which is nice.)

I figured I'd answer a few of those questions I get often about this blog, and blogging in general, because I've been terrible at actually having real, human conversations with people these days.

Q: Aren't you afraid of people reading your blog and judging you?
A: Yes, but I'm also afraid of people knowing me in real life and judging me. Or the barista at the coffee shop judging my order. Or the stranger on the subway judging my hat/scarf combo. Truthfully, social media has made it so it's quite easy to judge others without really knowing them or talking much to them. I still get nervous sometimes about hitting "publish" on posts, but I like to think of my blog as a place where I can just be 100% me. If people judge me for it, then OK.

Q: Are you worried your family or coworkers will read it and treat you differently?
A: Not really. My family and coworkers have read my blog before, and it's actually opened up conversations. I'm pretty introverted in real life, so being able to put my thoughts into written words has (I think) helped people get to know me.

Q: Why do you still use Blogger?
A: I know it's not the prettiest platform or the most customizable, but I've tried out a lot of platforms (Wordpress, Xanga, LiveJournal) and I just like Blogger. Maybe because I like seeing all of my Google accounts all linked together, who knows. Wordpress is nice though, I will say, and I recommend that to a lot of people who are looking to get started. (But platforms are really all about the person and what works best for you, so don't be afraid to experiment.)

I've also been blogging on this specific blog since 2009 and I like that that archive is there for me to look back on and laugh about.


Q: Why is it called "notes from a coffee shop"?
A: In college, I had a hard time focusing on writing anything in my apartment, so I used to go to any number of coffee shops on campus or nearby to isolate myself without being too isolated. It was always relaxing to sit at the Cyber A before work with a latte and listen to the theatre majors complain about auditions, or camp out at the Peet's across the street where overworked TAs would go to meet with anxious students. It sounds very cliche to be a writer in a coffee shop, but I like it. Even though most of my posts now are written while I'm sitting on my floor at 2AM (sigh), I do still enjoy the occasional coffee shop/blogging mornings on the weekend.

Q: Do you have a blogging schedule?
A: I stress myself out over this a lot because I have this anxiety to create even when I don't feel creative. In August 2015, I blogged every day for the whole month and was in tears at the end of it. (I've thought about doing it again, but I'm not sure yet.) My usual goal every month or so is to just "write more," but that's so vague. I'd like to post a blog (or a video or something) at least once a week this year, but I'm not going to make that declaration quite yet.

Q: Do you know who reads your blog? 
A: Kind of because I share (most of) my posts on Facebook, so I can see who likes/comments there. And sometimes people will message or text me, or tell me IRL that they read something and wanted to talk about it. I do have "comments" turned on on Blogger, but don't really expect people to comment because the responses tend to come through social media. (If you do comment though, hi! I like comments.)

Q: What blogs do you follow?
A: I mainly read my friends' blogs because they are all fascinating, funny, and fantastic human beings.

Q: How do you come up with blog topics?
A: From conversations with friends, things that happen in my life that might be of some interest to somebody beyond my own eyeballs, connecting stories from the past to the present, reflecting on moments in the world.

Q: Do you have any advice for aspiring or new bloggers?
A: Be authentic. Don't care too much about metrics or traffic. Let your "brand" and voice evolve as you grow.