TALK: Sarah Fader

#blogger #blogs #writing

Sarah Fader is the mother of two behind OldSchoolNewSchoolMom, a blog about parenting, and she also writes for the Huffington Post. She took time to answer my questions about blog writing.

Hi Sarah! Tell me about oldschoolnewschoolmom.com!

My blog was created in April 2009. Initially I started writing a blog
because I wanted a way to document my life with my son who was (at the
time) 11 months old. I've been a writer since I was six-years-old and
my mother taught me to use her electric typewriter. My best friend
Mint and I spent an hour on the phone trying to come up with a name
for the blog. I'm a child of the 80s and have a penchant for all
things nostalgic, hence the concept of "old school." However, I'm not
stuck in the past, and I welcome the advantages of technology. I love
my iPhone (although I did recently proclaim on Facebook that we were
getting a divorce, but that was due to the battery life) and my
children are obsessed with the iPad. I believe it's important to read
to your kids, but they're also not going to be permanently damaged
from watching television. As a child growing up in the 1980's, I
watched so much TV, and I turned out pretty good.

Anyway, back to my blog. It started out as a anecdotal journey, and
then it developed into an online community for me. I started sharing
real life stories about my struggles with panic disorder and
depression and readers came out of the woodwork to support me. I have
many blogging friends from all over the world.

What you'll find on OS/NS Mom is a variety of content. One day I could
be sharing a story about panic, another day I'm making you laugh with
a hilarious kid anecdote, and yet another day I'm doing a product
review for something I really love and want you to love too!

When and why did you start blogging?

I started blogging as a way to keep an online journal. It was my first
time becoming a parent, and I wanted a way to release my feelings of
euphoria and frustration. It was different than a real tangible
journal, because I had in mind that fact that I was writing for an
audience. When you are aware that others are reading your work, even
if it's just your friends in the beginning, you tend to take the work
more seriously.

At first just my friends and family read my blog and gradually over
the years, other people began to follow :)

How did you come to work with HuffPost?

I wrote a piece for OS/NS mom called "My Son is Brony." It was about
my son Ari, who is five-years-old, loves My Little Pony. In the
article I discussed the idea of labels and gender norms. The post went
viral in three days. It was overwhelming and awesome. I'd submitted it
to HuffPost for publication and hadn't heard back. So followed up with
the team over there and they advised me that they had published my
piece! I was so excited. It was a wonderful day for me.

They then created me with a Blogger User Name so that I could continue
to submit posts for review. I love blogging for HuffPost. They are a
joy to write for.

What blogs/type of blogs do you read?

I read a variety of parenting blogs. I prefer real raw and honest
stories. Here are two of my favorites:
The Fevered Pen and Trauma Dad:
http://thefeveredpen.wordpress.com
http://traumadad.blogspot.com

A recent piece you wrote (3 year olds are ***holes) has been shared
50000 times, and liked 344000 times! What does that feel like?

Surreal. It is overwhelming and surreal and awesome. The weirdest part
about that whole experience is that I was one step away from
rescinding the piece. Before this article went viral, I'd written a
piece for HuffPost called Stop Calling Assertive Women Bitches. That
got 10K likes on Facebook and a variety of Internet commentary arose.
I became hesitant to publish 3-Year-Olds are Assholes because I was
worried about what people would think. Would they hate me? Well, I'm
glad I didn't remove the post. The reaction from parents has been
overwhelming positive. I've only had a handful of dissenters and they
seem to have missed the point of the piece. I'll stick with the folks
that get it.

Do you think it is necessary to write a 'controversial' piece to get
people talking?

I don't think it's necessary, however I tend to write this way. I
write my feelings. Sometimes my feelings are raw. I push myself to be
honest when it's hard to express myself. I'll get a nagging feeling
that something needs to be said and that something usually is somewhat
provocative.

What one piece of advice would you give to new bloggers trying to get
noticed on the net?

Keep writing. Don't give up. Do what you love. Remember that you're
going to feel moody about blogging. One day you'll love the feedback
you're getting and another day, no one will comment on your post and
you'll feel discouraged. But do not give up. Make friends online. Read
other people's blogs and comment on them. Reach out to other bloggers
via email or Twitter and ask what they thought about your post.
Compliment great writing online when you see it. Most importantly, be
yourself. The Internet can sense someone who isn't genuine and it will
call your ass out. Find your voice and use it!

Thanks Sarah! Sarah's blog is www.oldschoolnewschoolmom.com and check her out on www.huffingtonpost.com/sarah-fader/