Spend a few minutes talking to Jean Wilund, writer and owner of www.jeanwilund.com, and you’ll find yourself at ease with her friendly personality and sense of humor. At least, that was my experience when I met with Jean a few weeks ago to talk about her hosting. The former homeschooler and coffee aficionado took some time afterward to share with me what she is passionate about and what’s next on the horizon for her as a writer.
“I love that I can make a difference in other’s lives with just a click of the “Publish” button,” Jean said. “Every day I have the opportunity to share what God’s been teaching me through His Word and my life. I want to help foster in others a stronger desire to know God and the Bible.”
So, how did this writer make her way into blogging? It all started at a Christian writers’ conference, where Jean was encouraged by Edie Melson, a social media expert, to start a blog.
“Completely intimidated, I began to sweat,” Jean shared. “Fortunately she convinced me it would not only help get my message out long before I’d hold a publishing contract, but it was also one of the best ways to refine my writing skills. To consistently improve, I needed to consistently write. Blogging is a great way to do that.”
Her blog, Join the Journey, is her platform for sharing a journey of faith in Christ through encouraging, instructional, and humorous posts. Jean provides resources for bible study groups, writes from a faith perspective about current events, and even mixes in a little bit of football. She’s been featured on other blogs and publications such as Clubhouse Jr. by Focus on the Family and Reach Out! Columbia Magazine, to name a few.
“I have two novel ideas I’m excited to tackle one day,” Jean said. “I’m writing an adult Bible study and a Children’s Bible storybook that show how God pointed to Christ throughout the Old Testament…and I do it all with a touch of humor. I’m serious about the Bible and laughter.”
Her advice to new bloggers, is that if they are serious about blogging, but not mastering website coding and all that goes into the technical side of blogging, then they should invest in their blog by hiring someone to handle the technical side of the blog.
“Strong graphics and a user-friendly blog help draw [readers]. Strong, meaningful content hopefully keeps them coming back,” she said. “Oh, and always include a picture or image with your post that is linked back to that post, not to the image.”
Time is Jean’s biggest challenge as a blogger. She overcomes time crunches by being quick to ask for help and jokes that she has installed a constant drip-line of coffee into her arm so as to never sleep.
“If I could manufacture time, I could spend the time I need to write all the posts I’m eager to write, learn all that WordPress can do, create stunning images for each article, and not drown in the torrent of never-ending projects.” Jean said.
Her life experiences and time living abroad prepared her for more than she ever imagined. “My comfort zone has been equally small when it comes to writing, but my experiences in Germany and Italy have driven me to push out of my comfort zone, so I can grow as a writer and experience more grand adventures.”
Join the journey with Jean at www.jeanwilund.com.
About Hosting by Real People & for Real People Spotlight Series
Our “Hosting by Real People & for Real People Spotlight Series” is our way of introducing the people who use AGhosted or make it a reality. The AGhosted slogan, “Hosting by Real People & for Real People” reminds us that we are a group of individuals, each interested in helping and equipping each of you reach your goals. It’s about our new mission to bring us together as a community full of people who share useful information, ask questions, mentor or coach, and connect with one another.
This AGhosted community is comprised of homeschooling bloggers, frugal bloggers, lifestyle bloggers, inspirational bloggers and WordPress siters. There’s a wealth of blogging and life experiences we can all benefit from — let’s get to know each other better.
Vanessa is responsible for coordinating conference sponsorships and creating marketing collateral to help support our team and public-facing story.