Featured Blogger - Suzanne Lynch-McKay
Wednesday 31st of July 2013 | Category: Opinion | Written by: Suzanne LSo, we’re starting a new series of posts here on the Mum Network Trusted Blogger Club pages; ‘The Featured Blogger’. Each time we’ll take one of our club members, and give you a more detailed introduction to them than you get on our home page. We’re certain it will have you heading over to their personal blog for a mooch, as well as checking out their posts for us here on the club blog. First up - Suzanne Lynch-McKay…
When did you start blogging, and what prompted your decision to go ahead?
I started blogging in 2007. I’d just gone back to work after having my first son and needed a bit of a confidence boost I guess. As a copywriter, I usually have to write what clients want me to write but I was craving something different. I wanted to write about what was going on in my life, make sense of being a new mum and have a place to ponder my dreams and aspirations. A blog seemed like a good place to do that. It would be my little corner of the internet where I could write what I wanted to write and not worry about deadlines or meeting client expectations. Most of all, I wanted to prove to myself that I could write content that was a pleasure to read, instead just content that sells.
Does blogging ‘connect’ to your working life in anyway?
It does. As well as Eggdipdip, I started a blog for the ‘professional’ side of my life. I use it to make existing and potential clients aware of my copywriting services and find it a good way of showcasing my writing skills. Sometimes there’s a cross-over between my two blogs when I write about being a working mum on Eggdipdip or my relevant experience as a mother on my pro blog, but I try to keep them separate. They have very different objectives and the voice I use is very different on each one.
Tell us about your personal top three posts from your blog…
The first one was written not long after we made the decision to move back to Scotland. It reminds me of all the reasons we want to be here and spells out why we think Scotland is the best place in the world to bring up our children.
The next one is a post I wrote not long after we made the Big Move to Scotland and asks Where Is Home? We didn’t feel like Scotland was our home yet, but knew the flat we’d left behind in London was no more than a place we’d once lived.
Finally, this is my favourite. It’s about my boys and their relationship.
What do you look for when reading other blogs?
That’s an interesting question. When I first discovered that there was a whole community of bloggers out there, I looked for blogs that inspired me to make and create things. A lot were sewing blogs, as that was what I was into at the time. Then I discovered twitter and found hundreds of interesting people to follow. Nowadays, I follow a blog because I enjoy the writing and it makes me think. I like finding different points of view and ways of living your life.
How do your family and friends feel about your blogging habit?
My extended family only knows about my pro blog, they don’t know about Eggdipdip. I never set out to keep it a secret from them, but I like having it as my own little hideaway. My husband knows about Eggdipdip, but he doesn’t quite understand the attraction of blogging. He thinks it’s all a bit bonkers, harmless but bonkers. The only tricky times have been when I forget that some real-life friends follow me on twitter. They’ll comment on a blog post I’ve written while we’re having coffee and I’ll think “Hey, how did you know I said that?” then I’ll remember and frantically hope I didn’t write anything too inflammatory!
What do you hope your kids will make of the blog one day?
Oh gosh, I hope they see it as a nice memory of our life really. I’ve started being a bit more selective about what I post about with that in mind to be honest. I don’t want to end up causing them embarrassment because of a post I wrote in the heat of the moment. It’s hard though, as they grow older. I try to keep them anonymous by not posting their names, but there’s lots of times I’ve wanted to blog about a particular challenge we’re facing as a family and I’ve resisted. You never know who might stumble across your blog and take offence at a rant you’ve had over a silly family disagreement!
What do you enjoy about being a Trusted Blogger Club member?
I love that all the bloggers have a unique voice. We’re not typical “mummy bloggers” (I have a real dislike for that term, it labels us and makes assumptions that aren’t necessarily true). All the bloggers are very eloquent writers and despite the fact we’re all mums and have that in common, we all have widely different experiences of parenthood which I love reading about. I’ve also made some great online friends already who I know will celebrate or commiserate with me whatever the situation. It shaping up to be a great support network, even though it’s in its infancy.
You can only write one more post on your own blog; what would the topic be?
That’s not fair! Only one topic? That’s impossible! Ok then, it would have to be “What I’ve learnt as a mother” because then I could waffle on forever about all manner of things.
You can visit Suzanne’s personal blog here, and sample the delights of her writing on our pages here.
