Progress Report!

The past few weeks have all been exceptionally busy, but this last week has been especially productive. Because this blog is meant to accompany me and document the progress and path of the start of my writing career, with all that has happened, now seemed like the perfect time for a progress report! Starting next week I'll begin doing regularly scheduled updates so that you all can know how things are coming along.

> It's official! I'm a paid writer! My Patreon page launch went amazingly well and I already have two patrons. My total earnings each month are, at the moment, only $22, but it's a damn good start and it's drastically fanned the flames of my motivation. I am getting paid to do what I love most in the world and now I want more than ever to do this as my profession. Though I highly doubt this page will ever be a source of much income, I hope to grow it into a form of supplementary income that will come in handy for writing competition entry fees as well as unexpected expenditures if they should arise.

> Facebook advertising has paid off and the Stationary Brain Vacations page has reached a whopping 142 likes! This number far exceeded my expectations for the small ad campaign  we were running and I am absolutely ecstatic about the number. With the Facebook page I am trying to create a community, a place where people can come together to talk to one another about writing, their favorite books, authors, and stories, and share their own work. It's also another method for me to increase my visibility and advertise myself by sharing links to my Patreon and this blog. I eventually want it to be a very active page, but for now I'll keep feeding interesting links, pictures, and original content to my page followers.

> After starting the 30 Day Blogging Challenge this blog has taken off more than I was ever really expecting it to. Most important about it, I think, is that it has become a way for me to de-stress daily. Writing here is very cathartic! The hope is for this to eventually be where my readers come to interact with me directly. I don't want people to just read my work and be done. I want to hear feedback and know what you all think. This journey is a very personal one for me, as I would like to do this for the rest of my life, and I want you all to be involved.

> Last but not least, as of just a few minutes ago, I launched my Instagram account, because what's a day in the life if there's nothing to see? On the account I will post pictures of what the illustrious life of the one and only ShaeLaLa looks like and give my readers and followers a glimpse into the girl behind the stories. (Find me and follow @shae.lala )

You've all been wonderful so far, and I'm really looking forward to continuing my journey with you on board. Send me a message, drop a like on my Facebook page, share with your friends, check out my Instagram, and most importantly, keep reading! Thanks, lovelies!