Meet The Blogger: Helen McClements

Helen McClements (41) is a Teacher and Writer from Belfast. Her blog: sourweeblog is about motherhood and lifestyle. 

Why did you decide to become a blogger/influencer?

I found blogging as a way into writing and loved how I could see an immediate response to my posts. My friends & husband always encouraged me to write and when I discovered blogging and got so much feedback from readers it gave me the encouragement I needed.

Tell us something your followers might not already know about you?

I’m not really as sour as my blog lets on! I do love an old moan but I find being open and honest helps me deal with the irritations in life much better.

What would you consider your biggest achievement as a blogger/influencer?

Blogging kickstarted my journey into writing and I began sharing stories at Tenx9, an event in Belfast where 9 people tell a 10-minute tale from their own lives. My stories have been broadcast on Radio Ulster and I have read at events all over Northern Ireland.

In 2018 I was thrilled to be awarded a bursary for the John Hewitt Summer School where I took a memoir writing workshop under the tutelage of Ferdia MacAnna. Being given these opportunities made me feel more confident that I was actually being regarded as a writer.

What would you consider the biggest lesson you’ve learnt in the industry?

Never just hit ‘update post’ and walk away! In the very early days, I used to be so proud of myself for sitting down and writing anything at all that I wouldn’t take the time to proof-read and edit properly. It is utterly cringe-making to re-read posts and discover that they are full of mistakes, (not least because I’m an English teacher.)

Always read your posts and check before they go love. Of course you are in control and can go back and fix them up, but you don’t want people to read them and think that the writing is sloppy- those readers may never come back.

What has been your biggest challenge to date?

I used to struggle with thinking up different subjects to blog about, but this hardly ever happens now. I love the work of Nora Ephron, who famously said: ‘Everything is copy’. I famously took this advice on board and I take my everyday life as material to inspire my posts. Few things are sacred!

I’m a bit of a technophobe but happily, my husband works in IT and is on hand to sort out any of my computer problems. I sometimes think he must regret ever telling me to get into blogging…

Do you feel that bloggers are unfairly judged at times, if so why?

Yes, absolutely.

I consider myself to be a writer, first and foremost, and blogging is my platform for doing what I love. It frustrates me that bloggers are sometimes written off as being superficial and writing only about hairstyles and fake tan.

The bloggers I follow focus on environmental issues and touch on mental health and what it means to be a parent. They deal with real issues in a way which is direct and bang up to date.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to start a blog/instagram page?

Recently I got some excellent advice from local businesswoman Orla McKeating, who gave me practical tips on how to use Instagram effectively and showed me how to carve out time for myself to write.

Discipline is important because having consistency is a good way to keep your followers. Make a commitment to how many times a week you want to update your blog and build a community of supporters to give you feedback, help, and advice. Without this, blogging can feel a bit lonely.

What local blogger do you look up to and why?

I love the work of Jonny McCambridge who writes the blog ‘What’s A Daddy For?’. It’s fun and interesting for me to see parenting from a dad’s perspective and he also writes about mental health in a way which is both courageous and candid.

Despite the seriousness of some of his posts he also manages to provide comic relief. We seem to have the same terrible luck while on staycations with our children. I’d love to have a glass of wine (or 3!) with his wife and hear her side of events!

What international blogger do you look up to and why?

It’s an old one but a good one- but I absolutely adore ‘Peter and Jane and Mummy too’ by Gill Simms. This is hilarious stuff and I identify on SO many levels. She has also produced two novels now and which have been serialised on Radio 4 and are, if possible, even funnier.

You can find Helen on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook!

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