For the last five years, I’ve been writing my brains out in my wine journal (this blog).

What I’ve learned about wine blogging, and what I’ve learned about the Wine Blog Awards:

About wine blogging:

1. It’s good to have an editor… and I do pay someone to help me with my wine blog… but sometimes I interject on my own published story, making mistakes, because it’s on the fly, and people like the self proclaimed “The Grammar Nazi” are then all over me (this past week).
   • Thank God.
   • Everyone wants me to look good.
2. There are those who have greatly helped my writing creds, and I’m ever thankful.
   • winebusiness.com
   • wineindustryinsight.com
3. People take bloggers too seriously.
   • I continually write that my wine blog is my journal, and “I’m not a journalist.”
     • Journalists have the luxury of editors, by-the-way.
     • Since no one is paying for a blogger to blog, hiring someone to correct one’s edits is costly; so to all the Grammar Nazis out there, bring it on!
   • I wonder why people still expect bloggers to be journalist.
     • Journalists are paid to spend copious hours getting to the bottom of an issue.
     • Bloggers are primarily writing opinions or writing about their immediate experiences.
     • Bloggers are (mostly) not paid for their writing, which constitutes a hobby, regardless of how connected they may be to their content.
     • Expecting us to be perfect is your own projection upon your own efforts.
4. Bloggers also take themselves too seriously.
   • I just read a prolific and popular blogger, who stated (paraphrasing), “If I see a grammar error on someone’s blog, you can bet I’ll never read that person ever again!”
   • Yes, I went on to find an error; he used the word audience and then used a collective pronoun after the use. Audience is singular. Oops…
     • I had to tell him, it was a statement begging for enlightenment.
     • I shared with him a Native American legend, given to me by a Sioux, years ago.
       • A Sioux at work always leaves one mistake in his or her work.
       • That’s the point where the spirit enters and exits the body of work.

About the Wine Blog Awards:

1. 1. For some, they mean the world.
      • Validation is important in life.
      • Finally, Tom Wark, who started the Wine Blog Awards, can be nominated.
   2. There’s either a sense of pride or joy that goes with being nominated.
      • I prefer the latter.
      • Having someone take the time to submit your name means that, after five years, someone actually does care about your dribble… And, that would be my own dribble I’m writing about here on my blog.
      • Thanks to the following, as of this writing:
        • Tracy Cervellone, my sommelier friend.
        • Jon Thorsen; you’re new to my world and I appreciate you.
        • Alana Gentry, my brilliant understudy Girl with a Glass.
        • Marlene Rossman, my Chef magazine, Sommelier Journal, The Tasting Panel, Riviera/Modern Luxury International Sommelier writing pal (Yeah, she’s that prolific).
        • Sondra Barrett, PhD and my wine shaman.
   3. I’m off to do due diligence.
      • If you have the inclination, you will make someone proud or you’ll bring great joy.
      • This bullet point is simply because in an outline, you can’t have only one bullet point under a topic… Rock on good grammar and correct spelling!

Related articles

• Please Nominate Me! (wilmaswineworld.com)
• Blogging awards (vinofictions.blogspot.com)
• I am an Award Wining Blogger (imaginethespirit.wordpress.com)