Setting Up a Personal Blog
Why I started blogging and how I set it up
I'd been thinking about starting a blog for months. I had things I wanted to write about, things I'd learned that might help others. But I kept putting it off. Too much setup. Too many decisions. Too much work.
Then I realized I was overthinking it. I didn't need a perfect blog. I just needed to start writing.
Part of it was wanting to share what I'd learned. When I was learning to code, blog posts from other developers were incredibly helpful. I wanted to contribute to that. But mostly, it was for me. Writing helps me think through problems. When I explain something, I understand it better. A blog gives me a reason to write regularly.
The Setup
I spent way too long deciding on a platform. Should I use WordPress? Ghost? Build something custom? I went in circles.
Finally, I just picked Next.js and started building. File-based routing for posts, markdown for content, simple and straightforward. I could have used a CMS, but I wanted control. I wanted to own my content.
The first version was basic. Just posts, no search, no tags, no fancy features. But it worked. I could write posts and publish them. That was enough.
The hardest part wasn't the setup—it was writing consistently. I'd go weeks without posting, then write three posts in a week. I'm still figuring out a rhythm that works. But even with an inconsistent schedule, it's been worth it. I've learned things by writing about them. I've connected with people who read my posts. And I have a place to put my thoughts.
If you're thinking about starting a blog, just start. Don't wait for the perfect setup. Don't wait until you have everything figured out. Start simple, then improve as you go.
Note: This is a mock-up post created as part of the Feather blog template demonstration. The content is provided as an example to showcase the blog's features including markdown rendering, search functionality, tags, and more.
Feather is a blog template built for Next.js. You can use these example posts as a reference when creating your own content.