Name Alice-May
Age 27
Location London
Blog URL AliceMayPurkiss.co.uk
What is your blog about?
My blog started out as another London lifestyle blog, but after being diagnosed with breast cancer in June 2015, I decided to blog about my (Xfactor word) journey and began a campaign to get all of my friends and family to #CheckYourChebs more frequently. Early diagnosis has definitely saved my life – so I want to try and help others with that, but I hope to offer support to anyone who may face what I’m going through in the future.
Is this your first blog?
Unless you count the teenage angst of LiveJournal. I think mine was called something like Open Heart, so it’s probably best we don’t.
When did you start your current blog?
I started my current blog not long after I finished uni, circa 2010, but I only really started giving it the attention it deserves when I undertook 25 challenges in my 25th year.
What made you do it?
To quote my dad, because it seemed like a good idea at the time. I’ve always been a person who loves to write – and I needed an outlet for that when my degree didn’t quite garner me the job I had hoped.
What was your first blog post about?
Good question. I just had to check! The first post on this blog was about working for free: I was a bit miffed with having to do unpaid internships to get a job so I wrote a mini rant about it
What do you think is the most useful tool to you as a blogger?
Social media, hand over fist. It’s the best way to get your work out there and get your name known and to get your content out there.
Do people in your real life know about your blog? If yes, has your blog helped you career wise?
My blog has definitely enabled me to demonstrate my writing and ability to engage a wider audience. Though it’s not directly related to my current role, it definitely worked in my favour to show I can communicate effectively and I’ve got some drive to do things outside work.
What has been the one thing (blog post, project, etc) that you have been really proud of?
I’ve been proud of the way my blog has developed since I got my cancer diagnosis. It’s given it a bit more of a purpose and direction (albeit a bit of a bleak one) and its enabled me to add humour and reality to my writing in a way I never would have imagined.
Where do you see your blog in a year?
Hopefully cancer free – and as a helpful resource for any young women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer!
What do you wish you knew when starting your blog?
Numbers don’t matter – blog for the joy of it. Whether your blog reaches 1 person or 1000 people, it doesn’t matter. Write good content and the readers will follow.
What do you wish you know more about now?
HTML. It drives me mad sometimes. I definitely need to swot up on this!
How do you keep motivated to post?
It’s hard and my posting often comes in waves but I love to write and that’s what keeps me motivated.
