May 17, 2013 by Fifi Flowers
An unconventional British lass with a degree in International Relations, the wrong side of 35 and only just the right side of 40, Bex finds herself living in the unconventional country of Greece.
She’s travelled to, lived and taught in various places around the globe—Sri Lanka, Cambodia and even helped teach English to the crew of a container ship travelling across the Atlantic Ocean!
She’s travelled to, lived and taught in various places around the globe—Sri Lanka, Cambodia and even helped teach English to the crew of a container ship travelling across the Atlantic Ocean!
A jack of all trades, Bex has worked at LHR airport, dealing with high profile passengers as well as understanding the logistics of aircraft travel, organised people's lives through her role as P.A. to various individuals and returned to full time education in her early 30's. All experiences have helped to shape who she is today.
Let's ask a few questions...
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
My name’s Bex, I’m the wrong side
of 35, but just about the right side of 40.
I’m an English lass teaching English in Athens, Greece.
How you first got involved in with blogging?
I started blogging back in
2010. I had lived in Greece then moved
to Cairo, Egypt to teach. I then
returned to Greece and rather than send individual emails to friends or
constantly post Facebook status updates, I decided to blog so friends could keep
up with my adventures.
Tell me about some of the people you’ve met while working on your blog?
It’s been great! I’ve met many people worldwide who like the
content of my blog: I blog about life in Greece, travel tips and feature expats
with stories to tell about their lives as well as Author interviews – mainly
about people who’ve left their country to start a new life and
fiction/non-fiction prose about Greece.
I’ve befriended some expats in
Athens who’ve contacted me, telling me they love my site, would I like to meet
for coffee. It’s a great compliment, and
a lovely way to meet people.
How would (someone) describe your blogging style?
I’ve been told I have a
self-deprecating style of writing (when writing about myself). I provide funny anecdotes of cultural
differences witnessed living in my adopted country. I intersperse this with travel articles and
general tips. Someone once said that as
they read it, they were saying aloud “Yes!
Life is exactly like that in Greece!”
I guess I resonate with my readers – at least that’s my aim.
What do you do when you aren’t working on your blog?
I teach English part time, am
involved in a volunteer programme to help stray cats in Athens (I blog about
this too) and contribute various articles to different publications. I’m also finishing my first novel – I’m
incredibly self critical so the process is taking rather a long time! But I’m enjoying writing it too: a fish out
of water novel about a foreign girl in a Greek village – the adventures she has
there and the people she encounters.
Are you a full time blogger?
I update my site at least two or
three times a week. I generally write
when there’s a story to be told, not for the sake of it. Every week I feature a new expat on my League
of Expat series…they contribute stories about life abroad and advise.
What networking do you do that you feel helps your blogging (business)?
My blog grew organically. It seemed to attract readers interested in
hearing tales from Greece and authors interested in another ‘struggling’ author
with a tale to tell about Greece. One
such author, Jessica
Bell introduced me to the A-Z
Blogging Challenge in 2012 where I met many other bloggers and followers.
Taking part in blogging
challenges, book reviews and leaving comments on blogs of interest to you all
help your networking ability. I can’t
stress enough how nice it is to give and receive comments on blogs!
How do you keep coming up with material/content for your blog? Many people struggle to come up with different articles/posts and they only have one blog.
I maintain a Facebook and Twitter account and ask my
followers what they’d like to see featured.
It was through this that the League of Expat Writers grew and my guest
author interviews.
Because my site is about life in
a foreign land through the eyes of an expat, there is always material to be
written about, especially in a culture so different from my own. I guess one needs to think about what their blog
is about and tailor make content that way.
Asking followers what they’d like to see featured is important too as it
makes them feel appreciated.
What’s the best thing a blogger can give to his readers?
Content that the reader wants to
learn about, engage in (through the comments left) and ensure a loyal fan base.
What has been your strategy for creating visibility to yourself and your blog?
I utilize widgets such as LinkWithin, a site that reminds readers
to read past posts. I also regularly revise
my past posts and re-tweet and post on my Facebook page.
Name some of the bloggers whom you look up to
and why?
Author Jessica Bell is one of my favourites. She took me under her wing when I started
making my blog more mainstream, when I moved away from it being updates for
family and friends.
Chuck Sambuchino of Writers Digest has also been a great
source of writing information with his writing style tips, how to build your
blogger platform and followers.
If someone was interested in blogging, what would be a few things you would suggest?
Write about what interests
YOU. That way you’re developing your own
unique voice and pretty soon, you’ll bring loyal followers to your site.
Research other blogs of similar
content, Twitter is a good social networking tool for this, and leave comments,
even if it’s a brief “Hey, I love what
you write about.” As I said, bloggers
love comments and there’s no better way to gain followers than complimenting
someone on their site.
Good luck!
