Interviews With Bloggers #1: Emma Bozenda

This series is something I have wanted to do for some time now. We see all of the tag awards and answers that go along with that, but I think there is some value to be had in real structured interviews of other bloggers, really getting to know the people behind the blogs we love so much. That is what I hope to accomplish with this series, I want to build better connections between everyone I interact with and have met through blogging. In the future this series could evolve into audio/video interviews as well as these written ones, all depending on what is most comfortable for the guest! Now onto the interview itself.

The Interview

Tell me about yourself.

Hi, my name is Emma. I’m a 24-year-old born and raised in good ol’ Chicago, Illinois. Our pizza is the bee’s knees, by the way. 

Currently, I’m a Digital Marketing Intern, Blogger for Inkd.co, and I blog about writing for my personal website. It’s not much of a living, but these are steps in the right direction. I’m very excited to see where my writing takes me in 2020.  

When I’m not writing, which is a bit rare now, I like to draw, watch Blackhawks hockey, watch endless hours of YouTube videos, and play with my three dogs! 

What led you to become a blogger? 

I hold Bachelor’s Degrees in creative writing and English, and a minor in History, so I knew I wanted to do something that would involve writing. After I graduated early, I was pretty lost and unfocused for about two years. 

Taking a stand at the end of 2019, and reconnecting to my original purpose, I began to study Content Writing, Content Marketing, Social Media platforms, and SEO. In the articles I read and the online classes I took, blogging was a common denominator. I knew I had to fill my resume with stronger and more relevant writing samples to share with Hiring Managers.  

In March, 2020, I launched my personal website and practice blog. I also launched my Twitter and Instagram handles. I really wanted to commit to writing professionally, and surround myself with inspiring creatives. 

Both of the positions I work for currently pointed to my blog and social media presence as their reason for hiring me. So maintaining my personal blog is something that I take a lot of pride in. 

How do you come up with new posts? 

Since I don’t have the budget to purchase keyword research tools like Moz or Ahrefs, I have some convoluted research methods. Sometimes, I will come up with an idea on my own, and write from there. 

When I’m very strategic, I use my free Moz account to perform 10 keyword searches a month. Usually, I type in keywords into Quora, and see what questions people are asking. Those questions become the basis of posts. I also check my Twitter timeline, and see what both interests and frustrates fellow writers. 

Since my blog aims to address the concerns of the writing community, connecting with writers across different Social platforms is very important for me.    

What has been your most successful post?

My website is very new, and the analytics say that my most successful post is “Get to Know me: I Answer Ten Random Questions”. It was a very stress free blog to create, since I wasn’t targeting any specific keywords. While it’s important for me to practice SEO, I try to also practice other forms of blog and content writing that differs from tips and lists. 

I think it’s important for writers to allow their readers a chance to be better familiar with them! 

What has been your favorite post so far? 

Hmmm. I really enjoyed writing about how to utilize the books we love as tools to better our craft: “How to Better your Writing Style: Five Ways to Learn From Your Favorite Books”. For a writer, the books we love can play a much bigger role in our content creation and ideation strategy. It’s important to really sit down and study what makes good pieces of literature so great. 

What is one thing you wish you knew when you started blogging? 

I wish I knew how much time actually goes into creating a single post. There’s research, actual writing, procrastination, editing, formatting, picture/video/gif gathering, link building, SEO, final editing, and posting. 

Then after the blog is live, there’s marketing. I always underestimate how long the process will take me, and run to catch up as my upload day approaches. 

If you could pick your dream job what would it be? 

In college, it was my dream to graduate and become a Fiction Editor for an important literary magazine, or to become a Fiction Editor for a publishing house! Maybe some day I can transition to that field. 

My more realistic plan is to make it as Digital Content Writer, or Digital Content Marketer. Here’s to hoping! 

My unreachable dream job is to be a celebrity chef or YouTube sensation. Who knows, maybe I can! 

What is your favorite book of all-time? 

As I briefly mentioned earlier, I recently wrote a blog post where I list my favorites. But if I had to pick just one, I choose The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. I fell in love with the book when I had to read it my senior year of high school. I love Wilde’s writing style, namely his dialogue and descriptors. I love the book’s drama, hedonism, and handling of the destruction of innocence.  

What is your favorite video game of all-time? 

I’m not really the biggest fan of video games, and usually have resorted to watching my sister play. But I liked Pokémon Black on my DS, and I’m still playing Pokémon Go every day! 

Who is your favorite fictional character of all-time?

This is tough! I love anything made by Studio Ghibli. As aesthetics go, I really love Totoro; what a cute character! Any trinket that has Totoro on it, I want it!  

Blogger Bio

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Emma Bozenda is a Digital Marketing Intern, Blogger, and Fiction Writer from Chicago, IL. She loves sweet potatoes, visiting cemeteries, and is allergic to cats. She holds Bachelor’s Degrees in creative writing and English from Coe College. Previous publications can be found in The Coe Review literary magazine. Check out her blog at www.emmabozenda.com, Twitter, and Instagram. 

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As always, thanks so much for reading! I am really excited about continuing this series and getting to know more of you in this way! If you want to be a part of this or know someone I should reach out to please let me know in the comments or reach out to me on Twitter! Check back for new posts (at least) every Wednesday and Saturday and sign-up via email to make sure you never miss a thing!