Blogger Interview with Liz A. from Laws of Gravity

Today I have Liz A. from Laws of Gravity. Her blog is quite unique. She blogs about being a substitute teacher, shares her knitting creations, and asks intriguing questions every week. Welcome, Liz!

1. How did you come up with the title Laws of Gravity for your blog? Does it have a special meaning?

This is a rather long story. The short version: I liked it.

As for the long version…

One of the reasons I studied physics in college had to do with the history of science. Copernicus. Galileo. Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler. Which all led to Sir Isaac Newton (who wasn’t that nice of a guy) and his law of universal gravitation. I so hope that Kepler actually stole that Mars data…

But that’s not what prompted my blog title. That came from a movie. A movie titled Laws of Gravity tickled my brain. I’ve never seen the movie. Not really interested. (It’s not my kind of film.) But the title… I loved the title. So, I stole it. For my personal journal.

When I started really working on my novels, I also started keeping a personal journal. And I titled it Laws of Gravity. Because.

Then, when I started my blog, I knew that’s what the title had to be. Because it was still a personal thing, just a blog where I talked about what was important to me. And I could spin some tale of how gravity is the thing that holds us all together. Gravity is the force that binds two objects with mass. And the more massive (or the more objects) the more tightly it binds.

Or, I could talk about spacetime and how gravity is the force that shapes our universe.

But actually, the title is Laws of Gravity because I liked the ring of it. (The deeper meaning gives it layers.)

2. One of your regular blog features is the Sub Files where you talk about moments you experience while subbing for a continuation high school. How did this get started?

I started calling it #subfiles because hashtags started being the thing, and it was the way I coded my tweets from school.

But the Sub Files have always been a part of the blog. When I first started (on MySpace, of all things), I had one reader, my brother. He said he liked my subbing stories best, so I focused on them.

As for the stories from the continuation high school, they began once the district started sending me there. I write about what happens during my subbing day. Those are just normal subbing days.

3. What was your very first blog post?

My very first blog post was on MySpace. May 23, 2006. I reposted it on Blogger on May 3, 2011. (I deleted the MySpace account, but I saved my blog posts from then. I reposted some of them, but many of them weren’t worth saving.) Silly Fire Drill

My first blog post on Blogger is from September 14, 2007, and it explains why I made the jump to Blogger. Newbie But I had been writing a blog for a little over a year when I posted this.

4. On Tuesdays you have What If posts. In your words: At the heart of much speculative fiction (and fiction in general) is a question. What if? How do you come up with or find these thought-provoking questions?

I wish I had a good answer for you. They just come to me. It might be from something I watched on TV. It might be from something someone said to me. Or it might just be me white knuckling it on the weekend when I’m writing my posts knowing that I need to post something…

5. You’re an avid knitter and even have an Etsy store called Zizi Rho Designs. What is your most popular item among your buyers?

I don’t know. I sell quite a few EOS lip balm holders, but is that because I have a ton of them? Many of my other designs end up being one-offs. I sell the one and then never make it again. So, it’s hard to know.

Knitted Earrings

6. What kitting projects are you currently working on?

I have three projects actively going at the moment. First, I'm crocheting some more Pokeball EOS lip balm holders. Who knew that was going to break big this summer? Then on the knitting side, I'm designing a new purse. I finally found a stitch pattern I like. And finally, I'm knitting a lacy cover for my water bottle. This has no practical application whatsoever. I just wanted to make something pretty. 

7. What are the top 5 most-viewed posts on your blog?

eReader Prop Pattern

 Water Bottle Carrier Pattern 

Crocheting for Peace

pattern for a crocheted peace sign appliqué—sense a theme here?

EOS Egg Lip Balm Holder Pattern 

A to Z Challenge Reflections Post from 2013

When I see other bloggers do this exercise, they always say how surprised they are at their top posts. I am not. My top posts are my free patterns, which I also link to on Ravelry (keeping them searchable for those looking for those sorts of things). I’d be more surprised if they weren’t at the top.

Because of Ravelry, I can look at what some others have done with my designs. It’s kind of fun. (The pyramid pillow prop, the water bottle carrier)

8. Share your number one tip to bloggers just starting out.

Write for you. Don’t worry about followers. If you aren’t writing a blog because you want to, you won’t stick with it for long.

Hyper Round:

1. Favorite time to post blogs? 8 AM       

2. Blogger or Wordpress? Blogger

3. Do you host guests?

Yes, although I discourage it. (Too few readers to make it worth it.)

4. Where are you when you’re blogging?

Sitting on my bed. But if I have an easy class, I may write out a post while watching them work and type it in later.

BIO:

I am a writer, a knitter, and a substitute teacher, not necessarily in that order. TV is my background noise of choice while I work on whatever project comes to hand. I'm currently working on a novel about a wizard with self-esteem issues. 

LINKS:

Blog / Etsy Shop / Shop FB Page

Twitter / Instagram / Shop Pinterest / Pinterest

Thank for you being my guest, Liz!

Please leave Liz a comment. J