We are excited to celebrate our fourth blogiversary of the Unexpected Ever Afters!  As a way to mark this blog milestone, we decided to venture outside of our comfort zone and record our first video post!  While we both found it strange to not be able to edit our words like we’re used to when writing, we really enjoyed the opportunity to discuss our blog journey in this informal interview. If you prefer to read rather than watch, you will see the transcript of the interview below.  Thanks for joining us! 

-Jessica & Wendi

Video Transcript

Jessica: Hi, welcome to our first Unexpected Ever Afters video blog.

Wendi: We recently marked our fourth blogiversary of the Unexpected Ever Afters blog and to celebrate that milestone and to kind of mark something as we enter our fifth year, we wanted to try something different and do an interview with the authors and kind of talk about some of our writing processes, our inspirations and just our journey on the Unexpected Ever Afters blog. So here we go. So when we decided to start the Unexpected Ever Afters blog, did you expect to still be writing together 4 years later?

Jessica: Yeah. No. I was really excited about the idea. But to be honest, I’ve tried different writing things in the past, like I’ve always been interested in writing, I tried a different blog experience in the past, and never had anything really stick. So I was hopeful about starting this blog together, but experience has shown me that 4 years was kind of outside of my realm of possibility. But I do think that part of us writing this together is what makes the difference. Like you’re an accountability partner and somebody that I want to keep showing up for. And we’ve been flexible with each other like when life gets kind of crazy and we need to have a break, we give that break but don’t use it as a reason not to come back. And I think that’s really made a difference too. What about you?

Wendi: Right, definitely. Ditto to everything that you just said. I agree. I did not expect it to go on, but I’m excited that we have and I agree, it’s made a huge difference to have the accountability and just have the support and, yeah, a second set of eyes on all of our posts with the editing process makes a big difference in my mind. And yeah, I did not expect to mark 4 years, but I’m excited that we’re here.

Jessica: Yeah. Right? I can’t really believe it’s been 4 years actually. Yeah. Speaking about our writing process, what is your process for writing? How do you decide what topic you’re gonna do? Do you sit down and write it all out at once or do you do bits and pieces over the course of weeks?

Wendi: All of it. My writing process varies depending on the week. Sometimes I start writing on a topic and think that I’ll have like at least an entire post, maybe a two-part series and then after about a paragraph I realize I’ve said as much as I can say on the topic and I can’t really take it any further. And then other times I will start a post thinking that it will be like just some little snippets I can add to a future post on a different topic and that original snippet turns into a big topic. So it kind of just depends on, I don’t know, the day maybe and I oftentimes will start something and then I get overwhelmed with it and put it on the back burner for a few months and then I’ll pick it up again when I have a little bit more inspiration. So it just, I don’t know, it kind of depends. How about you?

Jessica: Same to a little bit of everything. I think that I definitely spend a lot of time in my head.

Wendi: Yeah.

Jessica: Yeah. Just typical Jessica. I kind of pick at an idea and maybe I would even like write a couple sentences about it and then I just spend time mulling over it and kind of writing bits and pieces and my thoughts, and then when I do have time to sit down for some really chunk writing, I write, I write kind of the whole post in one sitting. But it’s not that it’s all being written at once, no. 

Wendi: Right. Sure, that makes sense.

Jessica: It’s been written over time just not on the paper. And, interesting side note, something that I use every once in a while is when I have a hard time with that transition from things that I’ve been thinking and a post that I’ve kind of designed in my mind and I can’t get it to start to flow out on the keyboard, I use like a text to speech software.

Wendi: Okay. Sure.

Jessica: So I can start talking about some of my ideas out loud, and then I copy paste the transcript into a blog post and use that to kind of jump start the post.

Wendi: Okay.

Jessica: Then I always put it aside for a day, come back and do some editing before I share it with you for our editing process.

Wendi: Yeah, yeah, the editing, that’s where I spend the bulk of my energy is the editing after you’ve done your edits.

Jessica: Right.

Wendi: I will sit with the piece for a long time and just kind of clean it up even. Before like finally ready to post. 

Jessica: Sometimes it’s the smallest like suggestion or comment that just really gets it like shifts the whole the whole.

Wendi: Right. Yep.

Jessica: Right, yeah. Like it just makes everything kind of flow in a different direction in a way that I didn’t. But typically like a really wonderful way. Which is why I appreciate the process.

Wendi: Right. Yep. Alright, well, how about what is your favorite part of writing?

Jessica: So my favorite part of writing is really creating something out of nothing. Like I think that idea of looking at a blank page and starting to write and then looking at the finished product. Like, that brings me joy to know that I created one thing that that creative process like led to this completed product.

Wendi: Right.

Jessica: And in general, just using my creativity brings me joy, like writing is a part of who I am and it’s something that I’m glad that I have found this outlet to continue to use.

Wendi: Definitely.

Jessica: And I kind of like having this record like with writing whether I’m journaling or whether I’m writing for our blog, I just like knowing that like my experiences and the way I thought about things, that they’re here. Maybe they’ll be impactful for somebody else. Maybe my own kids will read them and feel a little less alone.

Wendi: Exactly. Yep.

Jessica: And some of the things they experience in the future like I like that part of writing that it’s like creating a tangible thing for my experiences to be kept. What about you?

Wendi: Yeah. Right. Yeah, and a kind of like a, not a memoir but of sorts, to look back on your life and see where you’ve where you’ve come from and kind of your journey as you’ve moved through. Yeah, I think that some of my favorite parts is seeing my thoughts expressed in a way that I feel truly encompasses where I’m at. That’s when the writing really clicks and when I feel really satisfied. And it’s a very gratifying aspect of writing is when I feel like the words convey what I’m hoping they convey. And it’s yeah, like you said, it’s that creative process and being able to take what’s all up in here and what you’ve observed and the world around you and just different thoughts that come into your mind and being able to put it down on into words that someone else can read or even I can reread in the future and think, oh, that’s right, that’s something that was part of my journey and that’s led me to where I’m at today.

Jessica: Exactly. I like how you said that. This was a great start. This is just part one of our video blog series. We’re gonna come back to continue our celebration of our fourth blog anniversary with a part 2 in 2 weeks.

Wendi: Yeah.

Jessica: So, we look forward to continuing this conversation and are just really grateful for all of our readers joining us on this journey and being part of this experience for the past 4 years.

Wendi: Yes. Yes, thank you.

Jessica: Yeah, alright, see you in 2 weeks.

Wendi is co-author of The Unexpected Ever Afters blog and enjoys sipping extra hot coffee, sharing a love of reading with her kids, and exploring bike trails.

Jessica is a wife, mom, social worker, and writer.  She is co-author of the blog The Unexpected Ever Afters.