One Year Blogiversary and Answering Your Questions

One year ago this week, I sat at this very desk and published An Old Fashioned Girl to the internet.

One year later, and I'm still here, writing away and geeking out, trying to serve God through my writing.

​Let's reflect and chat together!

I created An Old Fashioned Girl with a simple mission, to be a safe place for girls like me. To create a peaceful environment away from stress where you and I could be ourselves.

And it's become so much more than that.

Pretty early on I realized that not only was An Old Fashioned Girl a place where I could share my heart, it was the place that I feel most myself. 

I created this blog as a safe space for other girls, not realizing it would become a safe space for myself.

I spent a year writing about books, faith, my life, and a whole lot of other things, and it's been incredible. My blog isn't huge or very professional, but it's a beautiful place. 

The best part about blogging has been being able to connect with each one of you. You guys inspire and motivate me to keep writing, even on the hardest days of blogging, I remind myself that there is someone out there who wants to read what I have to write.

Everyone says things like this, but I truly mean it, An Old Fashioned Girl would not be what it is today without you. Whether you have been subscribed from the very beginning, discovered me through another blogger, stumbled across me somewhere on the internet, or were cajoled by me into subscribing, I am so grateful for you.

I have spent a lot of time thinking about who my blog audience is. But recently I figured out that it wasn't just a crowd of random faces, it's me at the age of fourteen. My audience is insecure and hurting girls who want a little escape. Girls who feel like they don't have anywhere where they can just be themselves. Girls who find comfort in borrowed adventures between the pages of books. 

I realized that in a way I have an opportunity to be a big sister and a best friend to girls just like me.


If you don't fit in this category, you are still welcome here. This blog is for anyone who wants to experience the beauty of life again and again.

​God has blessed me so much by giving me this tiny little platform where I can show his love to you. I won't say he has blown away my wildest dreams for blogging (my dreams can get pretty wild), but he has made my efforts pay off again and again, and for that I am so grateful!

​Blogging isn't easy, some days it's so hard to get up and write, and I have struggled with comparison a lot in my time with blogging, but God has led me here for a reason and he keeps me going.

This year I uploaded 54 blog posts, all were written by me expect three which were written by some other amazing young writers <3.
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Here are a few I would like to highlight -

one of the best blog posts - going afraid

the worst blog post - pen paling ideas (it's not terrible, I just rushed with it)

my favorite post that got hardly any traction - finding space to be creative again

my weirdest post - consider the apple

the post that was the most fun to work on - the little women face off part 1.

Answering Your Questions -

A few weeks ago I asked you guys to submit questions, here are my answers to some of them!

Who do you attribute your love of reading to? 

​This is a great question! The answer really is my Mom, she’s the one who taught me to read, read books out loud to me, and always encouraged me to read. She’s not the biggest reader herself, but she taught me to love and value books.

What is the craziest thing you've ever done?

​Ever? Hmm… I’m not much for super crazy things in a danger/adventure-like way,  but as for crazy as in “I can’t believe that happened”, I would say co-writing and directing a play that sold over a hundred tickets would be up there.

What is the most annoying book character you've come across?
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Hmm… don’t get mad at me please, but I really can’t stand Batty from The Penderwicks.

Who has inspired you the most in your writing journey? 

I love this question! There are quite a few people, the first two being my favorite writers Gail Carson Levine and Louisa May Alcott. Their books have in many ways became a part of me and they always inspire me to write.

Both of my parents are also huge inspirations, my Dad blogged for a while, wrote a movie, has worked on some books, and indie-published a non-fiction book.

My Mom wrote and published a children's book as well.
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My paternal grandmother is also such an influence on my life in general but also my writing journey. She used to dream of living alone in a cabin writing novels, and although God led her in another direction, I feel like I get to, in some ways, live out her dream.

What is your opinion on the 3 Highschool Musical movies?
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They are amazing pieces of art that should be appreciated by everyone. I also just watched all of them with my siblings and some of my closest friends and we had the best time ever. Don’t hate on something just because it isn’t intellectual or a high production level. Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens have their place.

What's a popular book do you not particularly enjoy and why?
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The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han. It was so shallow and unnecessarily full of weird and gross things. Also the whole concept of a 14-year-old girl having to pick between two older guys is just kind of weird.

How tall are you?
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This is a touchy topic with me. I’m 5’0. Yeah, I’m tiny


Whats a song or artist you are currently obsessed with?
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Song - the lakes by Taylor Swift (don’t judge, this song is me in a song)

How do you deal with writers block?

This is such a great question! I like to watch writing videos (Like Abbie Emmons) or take writing classes (Like Neil Gaiman’s on Masterclass) to re-motivate me. I also find that making a Pinterest board for my project also helps get the creative juices flowing. A few other things I like to do are, read a book that is in a similar genre to my project, take a break from my project, or send it over to someone I trust to get some feedback to motivate me.
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At the end of the day though, writer block is often either procrastination or a sign of burnout, so do what you need to do, whether that’s push yourself (for procrastination), or take some time away (burnout).

Why don't you like Pride & Prejudice?

Hey, hey hey, hold it. I never said I don’t like P+P, it’s just not my favorite. I felt like the book was lacking emotions within the romances, it’s a very money driven story which at the time I first read it bothered me. I don’t hate it though, the 2005 film with Keira Knightly is one of my favorite movies of all time, and I am slowly learning and understanding more about Regency culture which is making me respect the book much more.

If you could bend any element: Water, Earth, Fire, Air. What would you choose?
I would choose water. There is something so powerful about it.

Favorite things to eat
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In general anything with pastry on it, any kind of crispy chicken, curries of all kinds and all cuisines, and sushi.

What is your most embarrassing writer secret?
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I write poetry about people I know and situations that have happened to me. It’s not that the fact I do that is embarrassing in and of itself, but if the poems got out it would be highly embarrassing.

How many books do you own? 

102, not including Bibles or notebooks. And this is in physical books, not how many books are in books that have more than one novel in them.

Why do you like books so much. You have too many

Woah, why do you think I have too many? This question feels a little bit like a jab (I think my brother might have asked it), but I am going to answer honestly.

As a girl who often felt like she didn’t fit in, books were a way for me to be myself. When I was in a book I wasn’t alone, I was transported into another world. I was able to explore places I could never explore and have adventures I could never have in real life.

​Books are a form of entertainment, but I also have learned so much from so many books. Books also connect people, stories are common ground with so many of us. God chose to share his love for the world through a book, Jesus shared messages through fictional stories, so I think that books are really powerful.

What's better, pancakes, or waffles? 
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I am going to stop this debate once and for all, waffles are better. They’re crispy and have more variety of texture, also they can carry so many different toppings. You can’t have chicken and pancakes, but you can have chicken and waffles. Also on a personal level, waffles are the thing I would always eat when I slept over either of my grandmother’s houses.

Which March sister (from Little Women) do you most relate to?
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Ah this is an amazing question! I think I am a mix of Meg and Jo. I have the older sister, the hopeless romantic tendencies of Meg, but the impulsive, temperamental, and writerly habits of Jo.

What does your acting career look like?

I have a very unique acting career. I was in my first show when I was 3 (an orphan in A Christmas Carol), and was in Christmas plays for most of my childhood. Then I had the opportunity to act on film in a Vacation Bible School production, and I was in three different ones over the years.

​A few years ago I joined an acting company and took classes, then my friends and I formed our own improv group we call the Melted Cheese Players,  together, along with the acting company we wrote, directed, produced, composed, designed, and acted in a huge Christmas Comedy Production this past December. Right now I’m not in anything or working on anything, but hopefully, something will come up soon.

Is there a book that's ever made you cry?
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Yes! There have been a few, Little Women (Bethyyyyy), Lenny’s Book of Everything (my heart was ripped out in this one), The Secret Garden (just so beautiful), and Me, Myself and Bob (so relatable and convicting), are the main ones.

Have you ever jumped into the ocean wearing a Kansas City Chiefs shirt while yelling the words, "GRYFFINDOR FOREVER!!!"?

I have not, because I am very much a Hufflepuff and I don’t want to commit treason against my house.

Sweet or salty?
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Sweet!

What made you want to start this blog?
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I touched a little on this before, but I'll go a little deeper here.

I wanted to create a place where I could be myself. I wanted a place where I could rant about books and movies, where we could geek out together, and where I could remind girls at their lowest points that they are loved and valued by Jesus. It’s something I wish I had when I was fourteen and at a very low point in my life. I wanted to live in the 1800’s away from the worries of now, so I created An Old Fashioned Girl last year as an escape.

​I want reading this blog to feel like you and I are sitting in a Victorian parlor, drinking tea and eating cookies, talking about all of our favorite things and not worrying about what anyone thinks.

If you could travel one place in the world what would it be? 
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My dream vacation is a month-long tour of Europe, visiting all the literary locations, eating so much food, exploring random places, learning about the culture, and meeting people.

While out shopping for antiques you find an old oil lamp like you'd find in a movie. You bring it home and decide to clean it. A Genie pops out "I am a literary genie as a reward from freeing me I will grant you the wish of putting you into a book world of your choosing." What would be your wish? 
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This is such a well-thought-out question haha! I have to be the most basic of basic book people and I have to say I would want to go to Hogwarts. What can I say? Harry Potter is elite.

What would you consider "nurturing activities"?
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Taking walks with no distractions, coloring, baking, and reading Psalms.

What is your opinion on Rickrolls?

Click this link for my answer…

What’s your least favorite movie? 
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This is very easy, the 2002 Ella Enchanted with Anne Hathaway and Hugh Dancy. I hate it with a passion. Everything about it makes me angry, and it's so low quality, and it's just not right.

Goals for the next blogging year

One goal for my blog this coming year is to hit 200 email list subscribers. My email list is the primary way I connect with my readers, I update every time I upload a new post and I share lots of other things like new book announcements, encouragement, personal conversations, recommendations and more. If you would like to be a part of that, please consider subscribing.

I also just launched a YouTube channel and really want to consistently upload there and grow that.

Another goal I have is to collaborate with more bloggers, if you are a blogger, I would love to consider collaborating with you for something on An Old Fashioned Girl or on your blog!

My last goal is to just be able to create content you love, so let me know in the comments or through my email list what you would like to see this year.

Well, that's all for the blogiversary celebration! Thank you all for being here! I hope the next year is just as amazing as this one was! 

Belle Thomas

​Belle is the writer behind An Old Fashioned Girl. She is passionate about Jesus, good books, and living a beautiful life.